Randy"Alpha Redwolf said he’ll look into it," Abraham’s voice rumbled through the phone, steady but tinged with an edge of weariness.As the head of the Alpha Council, his words carried weight. They should have brought me relief. They didn’t."However," he continued, his tone deliberate, "he’s prohibiting your men from entering his territory to question his people. Instead, he’ll handle the investigation himself. My advice? Wait for his response and avoid doing anything rash. We all know how Malachi can be."He sighed, the sound heavy with the burden of countless disputes and resolutions.I clenched the phone tighter, forcing myself to stay composed."Very well, then. Thank you for making it a priority. I look forward to a favourable outcome." My words felt hollow, like a desperate formality to end the conversation.But Abraham wasn’t done."Do you know anyone who might want to harm her—or you?" he asked, his voice sharp now, probing.A chill crawled down my spine. "Why do you ask?" I
RandyJacob didn’t return until nightfall. I remained in my office the entire day, tethered to the space like a man awaiting judgment. I didn’t dare leave, just in case swift action was required.Normally, I would have closed early, eager to rush home to my wife. But she wasn’t home anymore.The apartment, once warm with her presence, now felt cold and hollow, a cavern of memories that twisted the knife of regret deeper with each passing second.Staying there had become a form of torture—my own mind, my worst enemy.The past haunted me relentlessly. Every mistake I’d made played on an endless loop: the things I should have done, the words I shouldn’t have said, the love I should have shown.Regret clung to me like a second skin, a constant reminder of my failures.I should have cherished her. Loved her. Protected her.If I had been the man she deserved, maybe she’d still be here. But I’d let paranoia, jealousy, and fear poison everything.Now, all that remained was the hollow shell of
RandyJacob and I entered the interrogation room, the air thick with tension. Marvin and Lois sat chained in silver, their faces a mix of defiance and fear.Marvin looked worse for wear, his bruised face a testament to Jacob’s fury.Knowing him, I could only imagine the lengths he’d gone to while tracking them down—and the frustration that had driven him to this point.I couldn’t blame him. I might have done the same.What should have been a straightforward situation had spiraled into chaos, all because of their selfishness."Alpha Olsen! Alpha Olsen, look at what Beta Osborne did to me!" Marvin cried out, his voice grating and pitiful.Jacob let out a low growl, his annoyance brimming just beneath the surface."If you hadn’t run—if you hadn’t forced us to chase you halfway to hell and back—I wouldn’t have had to beat your sorry ass," Jacob snapped, his words laced with scorn."Do you have any idea what you almost caused? What Draco would’ve done if he found Westerners trespassing on
Randy"I swear that’s the truth," Marvin said, his voice shaky, eyes pleading for mercy. I turned to Jacob, my expression unreadable."I’ll give you some time to think it over," I said coldly, releasing the chain in my hand. It clattered loudly, a sound that seemed to echo Marvin’s faltering confidence."In the meantime," I continued, my voice firm, "you’re going to tell me everything about how you adopted my wife. I want to know why you adopted her, which Alpha sanctioned it, and whether you’re still in contact with the people who gave her to you."I shifted my attention to Lois, her nervousness written all over her face."I’ll give you a chance to answer, Lois. And believe me, what’s about to happen to your husband for lying to me will happen to you, too, if you don’t start talking."Her eyes widened in terror, but the weight of my words didn’t seem to fully register until two guards stepped into the room, their presence commanding and grim.They moved with quiet efficiency, their i
RandyI could see Lois was nervous, her hands trembling as she wiped at her tear-streaked face. But I didn’t interrupt her.She needed space to speak, to breathe.She knew she had no other choice—she had to tell the truth, and she knew it."The woman told us she could help us adopt," Lois began, her voice quivering. "She said there was a child available… but the child wasn’t in the system. I didn’t ask why."She paused, her gaze darting to Marvin before lowering to her lap."I guess… I guess my desperation clouded my judgment. She told us she could arrange everything—papers, custody—all of it. There was only one condition." Lois swallowed hard."We were never to return to the southern border. Ever."Her voice faltered, and she wiped her eyes again."At the time, it didn’t seem like much of a condition. We weren’t from the south. We had no ties there. It felt like such a small thing to agree to."I watched her intently, every word she spoke deepening the gravity of their situation."It
Randy"So, you decided to reach out to your regional Alpha—me—and offer her to me for a fee, as if you were some bounty hunters," I said coldly, my voice cutting through the heavy silence."That way, you wouldn’t get in trouble for it… right?"Lois didn’t answer. She didn’t have to. Her silence was confession enough.The memory burned fresh in my mind.They’d offered her to me as if they were doing me a favour, presenting her as though she was a prize to be claimed.To them, she wasn’t a child—they saw her as a way to avoid danger and even profit. After all, the Twelve Families’ prerogative was clear: eradicate the Mad King’s bloodline at all costs.Adasha was no ordinary child. She was premium prey, a direct descendant of the Mad King himself.But when I laid eyes on her, everything changed.I knew, in that moment, that I couldn’t let anything happen to her. Not her.Instead of handing her over to the council, I did something I thought was right at the time.I paid Marvin and Lois mo
RandyMarvin’s tears flowed freely, his face a mask of despair. He knew—knew deeply—that he was in immeasurable trouble with me.He had violated our agreement, shattered what little trust I had given him, and, worst of all, placed a target squarely on Adasha’s back.If she hadn’t run away, none of this would have unraveled. I wouldn’t have needed to arrest Jason, wouldn’t have discovered the full extent of their treachery.These two were evil—loyal to no one but their own selfish interests. Adasha was no longer theirs.They had sold her to me years ago, and now they had tried to sell her again.They weren’t just failures—they were scum. Fraudsters. Betrayers.There was no excuse for what they had done.I shifted my gaze to Lois, who was trembling as she cried, and motioned for her to continue. I needed every piece of information before I decided how to act."Jason tried to get Marvin to tell him who the person was," Lois said, her voice shaking as she spoke. "But Marvin refused. He sai
AdashaMorning crept in, the soft light painting delicate patterns on the walls. Kai was still beside me, his presence a quiet weight on the bed. It was unusual—he was always the first to rise.Perhaps the journey had drained him more than I realized. My thoughts swirled around the summons he attended with Laura and Ingrid, and unease pooled in my chest.It had to be about his bond with Laura. The idea tugged at something deep within me, a quiet ache I tried to bury.I hated the helplessness of it all, the knowledge that this was beyond my control.I turned my gaze to him, his face soft in sleep, the tension he usually carried smoothed away. For a moment, he looked almost vulnerable. I slipped out of bed carefully, the cool floor grounding me as I moved toward the shower.The steaming water offered a temporary reprieve, washing away the tangled emotions I couldn’t name. When I emerged, toweling my hair, Kai stirred. He blinked lazily, his sharp eyes focusing on me.“Why aren’t you in
KaiI pinned the bastard beneath me, my grip bruising, my rage boiling over.Twice.Twice in a single night, I had come inches from death. My body ached, my wounds burned, but none of it compared to the fury coursing through my veins.The man beneath me struggled, his naked form trembling with raw anger. His eyes—wild, unrelenting—held nothing but pure hatred.But something about him made me pause.There was a look, a presence—peculiar, unmistakable.Moonchild.I hesitated for just a second, and Draco’s growl snapped me back."Speak!" he barked, his voice sharp as steel.The man didn’t flinch. His chest rose and fell in ragged breaths, but he held my gaze with defiance.I bared my teeth, forcing my knee harder into his ribs."Why are you trying to kill us?" My voice came out rough, guttural, edged with the violence still pumping through me. "Twice tonight—you and your wolves attacked us!"A flicker of confusion crossed his face."We didn’t attack you."I stilled."We followed you from
KaiI didn’t need to be told—we were under attack.A thick gas flooded the cabin, burning my throat the second I inhaled it. My vision blurred, and a sharp, searing pain split through my skull. My nose was bleeding—I could taste the metallic tang in my mouth.Poison.We had no choice but to run.The moment we burst out of the cabin, the cold air hit my skin, but it did nothing to clear my head. My body felt sluggish, my limbs heavier than they should be. Had they traced us from the banquet hall? Had they known we’d come here? I had no answers.But right now, answers didn’t matter.Survival did."Poison gas," Randy muttered, his own breaths ragged.I nodded grimly, already assessing the battlefield.We were surrounded.Vicious, predatory wolves encircled us, their growls vibrating through the ground beneath our feet. Yellow eyes glowed in the dark, muscles coiled, ready to strike.I quickly counted our numbers.Me. Randy. Draco. Draco’s Gamma and Beta. Randy’s Beta and Gamma. Darius. G
KaiWe finally arrived at the cabin in Cleverbridge, and Lucian wasted no time. He had to take my aunt for medical assistance, leaving the rest of us behind.As I stepped inside, a familiar scent of aged wood and earth greeted me.The place was exactly as I had left it—furniture covered with waterproofing to keep the dust at bay, the faint smell of cedar still clinging to the air.It had been a while since I’d last been here, and the nostalgia hit me unexpectedly."I have clothes that will fit us," I said, already heading toward my room.The others shuffled inside, their exhaustion palpable."Make yourselves comfortable," I added over my shoulder. "The cabin is off-grid, but Darius knows his way around. There should be some canned food in the kitchen we can heat up."I disappeared into the room, pulling open old drawers, grateful that I had stashed extra clothes here in case of emergencies.This wasn’t exactly what I had in mind, but at least we wouldn’t have to suffer in the ill-fitt
Kai"I heard what Michelle Westwood did," Draco said, his voice edged with something between warning and certainty."And trust me, you do not want to experience that. I believe we’re safer without them."I exhaled through my nose, the weight of his words pressing against my own convictions."But murdering people simply because they’re Moonchild descendants is wrong," Randy interjected, his voice surprisingly measured. "As long as they don’t have compulsion abilities—""I doubt the Moonchild descendants pose any real threat," I cut in before he could finish.The van was silent, the road stretching endlessly ahead as I continued."Michelle Westwood was served Nightshade tea. She was happy being Kevin’s mate. She wasn’t trying to reclaim her grandfather’s kingdom, wasn’t looking to start a war."I ran a hand down my face, feeling the exhaustion clawing at me."Most of the Twelve family members who attended that day were ready for a fight. Someone knew her identity. Someone planned on exp
KaiLucian arrived an hour later.By then, my aunt was doing better—her breathing stronger, her color returning—but she still wasn’t lucid.Her body was healing, but her mind was somewhere else, caught between recovery and the lingering effects of the silver.We stood there, bare-skinned in the middle of the forest, the chill biting at our skin. But none of us cared.The weight of what had happened, of how close we had come to death, was heavier than the cold.How did the council expect us to react?Did they truly believe we would just accept this? That we would swallow their lies and pretend this wasn’t an orchestrated execution attempt?What excuse would they give?What bullshit would they spin to justify turning the banquet hall into a silver-cage death trap?Draco stood off to the side, his body rigid, his fists clenched. His silence was louder than any words.He was seething. Out for blood. And I couldn’t blame him.If we had stayed in that hall any longer—if we had hesitated, if
Kai"This hall was built by our great-grandfathers after the fall of King Lycus Moonchild," Randy said, his voice laced with exhaustion."It was meant to be a symbol of hope and peace."I glanced at him, noting the strain in his posture, the subtle tremor in his hands. He was feeling it too—the slow, creeping weakness as the silver took its toll.We were running out of time."And how exactly is that relevant to our situation?" I asked, my patience thinning.Randy exhaled, his gaze sweeping across the room."Because the times back then weren’t as peaceful as they are now. Our great-grandfathers would have built this place with caution. With escape routes. They had to have been prepared for betrayal, for war."I sighed, rubbing a hand over my face. "We’ve checked everywhere, Randy. There aren’t any hidden doors. No levers. No secret passages."He nodded, his jaw tight. "Then we check the floor."I frowned, but he wasn’t wrong.All this time, we had been searching the walls, the windows,
Kai"You better give her back once we’re out of here."Randy’s voice was firm, but there was something else laced beneath it—desperation. Even now, trapped, he was still clinging to the matter of Adasha.I narrowed my eyes. "You mean if we get out of here."The walls, the windows, the doors—every exit was reinforced. We weren’t walking out of here anytime soon. We had to wait, bide our time until the silver was retracted. And even then, we’d have to fight our way out.Randy’s Beta stepped forward, his tone grim. "The only way out is when they come for us. We need a plan. We have to be ready when they attack."Randy barely acknowledged him. His attention was still on me."You can’t keep her."His voice was raw, something breaking beneath the anger."She isn’t safe with you. Fated or not, you can’t keep her."There was something in his eyes—something more. He wasn’t just spewing possessive bullshit. He knew something.My instincts flared."Just give her back, Malachi." His voice tremble
Kai"You should have run for safety."The words felt hollow, empty—because I knew she couldn't hear me.My aunt lay still, her face pale, her breathing shallow.The wound on her shoulder was ugly, deep, and I knew the silver still lingered, making her healing sluggish.She had thrown herself in harm’s way for me, taken the bite meant for my flesh. And now, she was paying the price.I tore a strip of fabric from her ruined clothes, hands steady despite the fury simmering in my veins, and bound the wound as tightly as I could.It wouldn’t fix everything, but it would stop the bleeding long enough for her wolf to catch up."Trap?"Gabriel’s voice pulled me back to the present. I lifted my gaze to meet his and nodded as I stood, my muscles aching from the shift."It’s odd, isn’t it?" I said, scanning the ruined hall."The attackers aren’t trapped in here with us. They got in, did their damage, and disappeared. Everyone else is gone. Which means—""We were the target."Realization settled
KaiA woman’s scream cut through the air, raw and panicked.Then—chaos.Wolves shifted in frantic, desperate bursts of fur and bone, scrambling to escape. Chairs overturned, boots pounded against marble, voices shouted in confusion. The banquet hall, once a place of power and control, had descended into madness.And then—I saw her.Aunt Ingrid.She turned, her stance fierce, her eyes locking onto one of the intruders. She was ready to fight, to protect—me.But she never saw the other one.A blur of motion. A wolf lunging from the side.Fangs sank into her shoulder.She screamed—a sound that ripped through the air, through my bones, through Orion’s very soul. A deep, gut-wrenching cry of pain and shock.That bite was meant for me.Rage exploded through Orion, white-hot and blinding.I twisted, scanning the battlefield, my vision tunneling. Draco. Where was he?Then I saw him. Already on his feet, his wolf prowling, muscles coiled, ready to strike. His golden eyes burned with the promis