Lucy.
I spent the entire morning pacing in my room, my fingers tangled in my hair as my thoughts raced like a storm through my head. Why did Beta Ethan want to see me? After everything that bastard said to me at the interview! after how he tossed me aside like yesterday’s trash in front of the entire pack, I couldn’t wrap my head around it. He’d made his decision. He rejected me. So what does he want to see me for? Probably to reject me again.
I sighed, glancing once more at the note I’d found slipped under my door last night after I sent the man away. No signature, no explanation—just his name written in tight, sharp handwriting: Ethan wants to see you. Come to his office. I had crumpled it immediately, then smoothed it out again a minute later.
And now here I was. Against my better judgment. Dressed and out of my room, walking through the unfamiliar halls of the palace.
Regret hit me the moment I stepped into the corridor.
The palace was a labyrinth—grand, cold, and intimidating. Every hallway looked the same, all marble floors and towering doors trimmed in gold. This was my first time in a place like this. I was just a an ordinary village girl before all of this. An outsider. And yet, here I was, wandering through the heart of werewolf royalty like I had a purpose other than bearing children for the king.
I turned a corner and stopped in front of a slightly ajar door. I hadn’t passed a single guard or servant for the past ten minutes, and I was starting to feel like an intruder.
The plaque on the door was smudged, unreadable. But something about the dark wood and its heavy frame made me think it could be his office. I hesitated. I could knock. Or I could walk away and pretend I never saw the note.
But curiosity is a cruel mistress.
I pushed the door open.
And froze.
There they were—Ethan and the Luna Dowager. Locked in each other's arms, his hands running up her sides, her mouth trailing kisses down his neck. It was raw. Desperate. And utterly damning.
A sharp gasp escaped me before I could stop it.
Ethan’s head snapped toward me. His eyes went wide. The Luna pulled away, her lips swollen, her cheeks flushed, and the moment she saw me, her expression twisted into one of sheer horror.
“Oh my Goddess,” I breathed, taking a step back.
“Lucy—wait!” Ethan barked, stumbling to untangle himself.
I didn’t wait.
I turned and bolted, the hallway spinning around me, my feet slamming against the polished floor as I ran. My heart pounded so loud it drowned out everything else. My lungs burned, my hands shook. I didn’t know where I was going—I just knew I had to run as fast as my legs could carry.
I made it halfway down the corridor when a hand gripped my arm with a force that made me gasped in pain.
“Let me go!” I shrieked, thrashing.
But Ethan was stronger. He yanked me back, shoving open a different door and dragging me inside. Before I could scream again, he slammed me against the wall and pressed his lips to mine.
I froze.
It wasn’t a kiss—it was a violation. His mouth was rough, forceful, and had this stupid smell of garlic. I shoved at his chest with all my strength.
When I finally broke free, I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand and glared up at him, breathing hard. “You son of a—”
Smack.
My palm cracked across his cheek before I even thought about it. His head jerked to the side. A red mark bloomed on his skin.
He stood there for a second, stunned. Then his face darkened.
“If you tell anyone about what you saw…” His voice dropped to a dangerous growl, “I swear, Lucy, I will make sure you don’t live to regret it.”
My stomach twisted. My knees nearly buckled.
“I won’t,” I said quickly, voice trembling. “As a matter of fact, I do not care who you want to have sex with, so I don't see how this is my business.”
I started toward the door, but his voice stopped me.
“Wait.”
I turned slowly, glaring at him. “What now?”
His chest rose and fell as he stared at me. There was something unsettling in his gaze—something hungry. Desperate.
“I want you back.”
I blinked. For a moment, I thought I’d misheard him.
“You what?”
“I want you back, Lucy.”
Laughter burst out of me, faster than I could hold back. “You’re joking. You rejected me, Ethan. In front of everyone. You humiliated me.”
He didn’t flinch. “I made a mistake.”
“You made a choice,” I snapped. “One that I am so glad that you took! You said I had an ugly face!”
His jaw clenched. “And now I’m choosing you.”
“Well, it’s too late,” I spat. “I’d rather die than ever accept you back.”
His expression turned icy. “You don’t have a choice.”
That’s when he pulled a folded piece of paper from his jacket and shoved it into my hands.
Confused, I unfolded it. My eyes scanned the contents, and the blood in my veins turned to ice.
It was a legal agreement—signed and sealed. If the king stepped down or passed, everything he owned, his lands, his title… would go to Ethan.
I looked up slowly. “What… is this?”
He smiled, and it made my skin crawl. “My future. And yours.”
“You’re planning a coup,” I whispered. “You’re planning to become king?”
“Not going to. It’s already in motion.”
My fingers trembled. Without thinking, I tore the paper in half.
Then again. And again.
“I would have taken this seriously if it was from someone else,” I said. “Butbi doubt someone as daft as you're can pulled a stunt like this.”
He lunged forward, but I threw the shredded paper at him.
“You are insane if you think I’ll help you destroy this pack,” I hissed. “I only came here for money, and I do not want to get involved in anything else.”
A loud knock shattered the moment.
We both froze.
Knock. Knock. Bang.
The door rattled on its hinges.
Neither of us moved.
I glanced at Ethan, but he already had his eyes fixed on the door.
Another knock—this one heavier. More urgent.
My heart thundered in my chest.
Who was at the door?
Lucy.A loud noise startled me, something slammed, maybe a door. I jerked upright, heart pounding. I felt groggy, disoriented, like I hadn’t really slept at all. Light poured into the room, too bright, too sudden. I groaned and reached out, grabbing a pillow to shield my eyes from the glare.Then it all came rushing back.I was in my father’s house.A quiet joy bloomed in my chest, warm and unexpected. A smile spread across my face as I remembered where I was and who I was becoming."Now, I don’t know what decent folks think they're doing, but that right there? That’s pure madness! If it was just rabble, I’d understand, but you say what happened now? I’m still tryin’ to figure it out!"I let out a sharp breath, startled. My eyes flew open. Ella, my maid, was standing in the bedroom, mid-rant. My pulse jumped. For a second, I panicked, thinking someone else might be here. But after a quick glance around, I saw I was alone.King Ellison was gone.Relief washed over me. He’d been here la
Lucy.I didn’t know how much longer I could endure this. My thoughts were spinning, my chest tight with pressure, and every fiber of my being screamed for escape from the suffocating fog I was trapped in.“Is he really my father?” I asked, my voice breaking as desperation clawed its way into my words. I turned to her, searching her face. “The man in that photograph… is he my real father?”My mother’s face drained of color, years of buried sorrow etched into her features. She didn’t look at me right away, her eyes remained downcast, as if avoiding the truth could somehow delay the inevitable. But eventually, slowly, she met my gaze. Her expression was drenched in grief, and I knew what was coming before she even spoke. I wasn’t ready for it, but the truth was already unraveling.She let out a long, trembling breath. Her voice came out soft, heavy with remorse. “Yes, Lucy. That man is your biological father.”The words struck me hard, like a blow straight to the stomach. My pulse pounde
Lucy.The air in the slave quarters was suffocating. It smelled so foul, like something had died and no one bothered to clean it up. Anyone stepping in here for the first time might think they were hiding corpses. I had come back after a long, draining day, my whole body aching from the punishment I had been given for going missing. But honestly, I was used to it. Pain was a part of life here. It came with the role.My only mistake was letting myself wander too far from the work I was assigned. My mind had been too full of questions, thoughts that didn’t belong to someone like me. A slave wasn’t supposed to think beyond the moment. But there was something I had to know, something that had haunted me for as long as I could remember.The punishment had come quickly and harshly, just like always. A few bruises, a few cuts. That was it. Nothing worse than before. I could handle it. What I couldn’t handle was the unanswered question in my head.I needed to know if the Alpha king was really
Alpha Ellison.I sat in my study, completely overwhelmed. My chest felt like a huge weight was pressing down on it, and my thoughts were spinning in every direction. Everything in my life was falling apart faster than I could keep up. Lucy and the twins were gone. Just... gone. No note, no warning, nothing. Had she left me for good? Or was she hiding from something or from me? I couldn’t wrap my head around any of it.And as if that wasn’t enough, I was now caught in the middle of a whole new mess with Aurora. She came out of nowhere saying she was pregnant with my child. How could I have been so careless? Now what the hell was I supposed to do? The timing couldn't be worse. But it didn’t stop there. Oh no. Ivy barged in here too, not just asking for money, but demanding I make her my Luna because she had the damn pack lock. The audacity. Like she could just walk into my life and take something that doesn’t belong to her.I slammed my fist down on the desk. Papers flew everywhere, but
Aurora.The search had taken longer than I ever anticipated.Trekking through the dense forest felt like it would never end. Each step was heavier than the last, not just from exhaustion, but from the growing realization that this wasn’t just any forest—it was a place reserved for outlaws and the disgraced. And yet, given my mother’s complicated past, I wasn’t shocked to find her here. Troubled, yes, but not surprised."Are you certain she’s close?" I asked one of the guards beside me. He looked sickly, pale with dread, though he tried his best to keep up appearances. I could see clearly he wanted to be anywhere but here."Yes, my lady," he answered, his tone firm but his eyes betraying the anxiety beneath. "We should be very near."I was about to press him further when I saw her.My heart slammed against my chest as I pushed through a curtain of branches into a clearing. There my mother was, crumpled near the riverbank. A groan of pain escaped her lips. My chest tightened as I rushed
Lucy.I couldn’t feel my legs anymore. Each step I forced through the dense forest felt like dragging stone limbs, my muscles screaming in resistance. Hours had slipped by since I’d started running, clutching the twins close, their small bodies pressed against me like fragile secrets. All I could do was run. Flee from the past. Flee from them. I knew the moment anyone caught a glimpse of the babies in my arms, it would be over. They’d be taken. Sold off.For a long stretch of time, the twins were quiet. Their soft, rhythmic breathing became the only sound keeping me anchored. But as the orange tint of sunset bled through the trees, that stillness shattered—broken by their piercing cries. Their wails were sharp and desperate, slicing through the forest like sirens.“Shhh... it’s alright,” I whispered frantically, my voice brittle and uneven. I glanced around wildly, heart pounding. “Please, please stop crying,” I begged them, but their screams only rose higher, more frantic.I stumbled