Derek POV:
I stand in shock, wondering if she had actually just yell at me. I have never been treated the way she just treated me and somehow it feels weird. I feel like a child who is scolded by an adult.
Darren chuckles loudly behind me.
"What's so funny Darren?" I ask with my palms up.
"I'm sorry Derek, but I can't just help laughing. Somehow, I think you deserved that."
"And why, Darren?"
"She was your would-be Luna. You both almost got married, I wonder why you are giving her the cold shoulders..."
"Emphasis on the WAS. I only agreed to the marriage because her uncle proposed it.."
"You could have rejected it, but you didn't, meaning you like her.."
"No, I certainly do not!" I reply, too quickly, betraying my emotions.
Darren finds it easy detecting my feelings, we've been friends, right from childhood. His father was my father's Beta.
"Are you sure about that Derek? Because I do not believe that. You've spend years dreaming about this particular woman, you literally saw her in your dreams every night. You believe her to be the remedy the wolf clan need...."
"Okay. I was wrong Darren. She's just ordinary, like every other she-wolfs I've dated!" I defend, avoiding my Beta's glare.
"You picked that dress for her yourself. You even ordered that her prison cell be warmed up last night. And now, you're having your own personal doctor treat her?"
"I am only trying to maintain balance. To keep the pack save from threat, Darren!"
"Picking her a dress wasn't your duty to the pack", Darren says, his hands crossed, smirking. "It's more like a personal duty. And you even drooled at her. You stared when she walked in! Luckily, you were able to divert your eyes to the empty folder on your desk, so you won't be caught". Darren picks up the empty folders, laughing.
"Just like I always pretend with other girls.!"
"You are never like this with other girls Derek! She's beautiful, smart and....."
"And very stubborn." I complete, cutting him short.
Darren gives a short laughter, saying.
"You asked for that part of her Derek. You were literally frustrating the poor lady."
"Okay. Let's change discussion Darren.!" I say, drawing(hissing)in air nosily. He's caught me red handed.
"Okay Alpha", Darren replies playfully.
"Derek, you know she's saying the truth right? All investigation shows that they were actually murdered, just like the mountain pack months ago. And the crime scene is fabricated to make it look like a suicide scene. But traces of sliver where found here and there, and some of the broken glass found at the scene is confirmed by doctor Dathan to contain wolfsbane".
"I know. She also said she saw crescent Dagger. And there is only one clan who wield such..." I say thoughtfully.
"The children of Shanti..!" we chorus.
"We have all the evidence we need Derek. The witch clan are responsible for the deaths."
"We can't just conclude. We need more evidence Darren. And we'll start by knowing how she survived the wolfsbane and how she managed to block out my connection to her mind." I reply, absent-mindedly, pointing my fingers to the air, thinking.
"Block out your connection?! Nobody can do that except an Alpha.." Darren says, shock.
"Exactly what makes it weird. And the strength with which she spun me around earlier, is unbelievable. There's something not quite right about her."
"I agree." Darren says, nodding his head.
" We'll deal with that later. First, go find out what the witch clan are up too." I order.
"Alright Alpha."
"One more thing Darren. I want it kept from her that I was her suitor. Till I'm sure she's not a threat. And be careful out there."
"Okay". Darren nods and left.
Once Darren is gone. I pace restlessly .
"Why would her eyes changed to a searing blue, if truthfully this was her first time of hurting someone?"
"How did she manage to block out my connection to her mind?" "What were the children of Shanti after?"
True, I had dreamt several times over the years, of a woman of her description bringing redemption to the son's of Lycan. But the prophecy said she is to be an Hybrid and there is nothing hybrid about this Alessia!
"At least nothing I see!! "I say aloud to myself.
"Alessia!" The name roll off my lips and I frown.
"It's a beautiful name, for a Luna." My wolf whines.
"Are you kidding me right now, Mason!" I say aloud to my wolf. "You sure have horrible taste in girls!".
I sit back to my desk. Having a lot of pack duties to attend too, I pick up a file gingerly and got to work.
Cyre's POV:I watch her walk away - chest broad and shoulders square, and although she has this air of boldness around her. I notice it all a facade she's putting on. Something she's stitching together just to face the world without shattering.She's trembling beneath it. I can feel it.And then Derek snaps beside me."Why the hell did you do that, Alessia? You just let her walk away with the fucking book."His voice slices through the stillness like a blade. His rage isn't just about the book, though. I can tell. It's about control. About the fact that something ancient just slipped through our fingers - and Alessia let it.Alessia doesn't flinch."Because she needed it," she says, steady. "And she's not the enemy.""Not the enemy?" Derek hisses. "That girl is working for Ryel - ""She's conflict
Raven POV:I'm drowning.No... It feels more like floating.The world is dark - soft and distant, like a half- remembered lullaby. I can't feel my body. I can't feel time. But I sense something.A tether.A voice.Calling me.My fingers twitch, as I feel something rushing through my veins.It's not pain. Not exactly. I feel every surge crawling through every five of my being, like lightning tangled with memory. It feels like power.I feel powerful.Who am I?I try to remember - my name, my pack, the sound of my own voice - but everything I see are eyes. Gold and red and ancient.Then a soft white fur pulls me closer.A fox. And it's staring at me.Nine tails coiled in smoke behind it."Where am I?" I whisper, voice lost in the ether. "Am I dead?"But it grins.Not quite, Child.A scream pierces the darkness.RAVEN! It calls.It's her. The Banshee. Alessia.The sound isn't just a sound, my body reacts to it, lurching forward, and suddenly...I'm falling.The fox wraps it's tail around
Cyre POV: All eyes snap to me the moment I speak."If she's what I think she is..." I say softly, stepping further into the ancient hall, "... we're already too late."The shadows curl at my feet, reluctant to let me go. Maybe, I am reluctant, seeing Ryel's most favored wolf on the table. Raven. But I peel forward, ignoring the weight in my chest.Her skin still hums faintly with energy. The book... gods, that book. It's clutched to her chest like a lifeline, like a promise she made to herself long before tonight.And I recognize the look in Alessia's eyes - curiosity and unease clashing like fire and frost.Derek glares at me, his voice cold. "What the hell do you mean, too late?"I don't answer him right away. Instead, I walk slowly towards the table to examine Raven's body. Dr. Dathan moves aside slightly to accommodate me.Raven's fingers twitch again, but it's not a reflex - her instincts are beginning to kick in."She's not a Hellhound," I say, voice quiet but cutting. "Not unl
Derek POV:The scream cleaves through the air like a lightning strike.RAVEN!Alessia's voice. Sharp. Commanding. Terrified.I am on my feet before the sound even fades, my chair crashing backward, ignored. Every wolf in the hall freezes mid-motion-cups stilled midair, conversations died in throats.Then chaos.I burst through the double Alpha Hall's doors, the wind already bringing her scent to me - smoke, wildness, adrenaline. The scream is coming from the east. The old grounds. Near the damn library.My wolf is already clawing forward, half- shifting before my body could follow."Darren! With me!" I bark through the mind-link, and within seconds, I hear his footsteps pounding behind mine.I didn't stop to wonder what Alessia is doing out there. There isn't time. The scream is tearing something in me - something primal. I can't explain it, I can't also contain it. So, I know one thing for certain:She's in danger. And I can feel it in my bones, in my blood.She must have seen somet
Alessia POV:Let him grow bold, I had said.But now, as I walk alone through the heart of Greenwood territory, I realize the weight of that gamble.Ryel is watching me. Of that, I am certain.His wolves pretend not to. They talk and train and drink and mourn with us like they belong. But I've learned the difference between presence and performance.Today, I wear a white tank top and a faded jean.White, not for purity but for bait.Let's see who Ryel has put on my trail.My steps takes me past the old training yard where I first sparred with Derek. The air is still heavy with smoke from the funeral pyres, clinging to the skin like memory from the four days for burying our dead.I walk with purpose, back straight, chin high, like a Queen who doesn't know her castle is surrounded.Cyre'd been so tensed earlier.Three Hours Ago:Cyre and I walked out the Alpha's office. She paced the corridor restlessly."Derek's not taking this serious enough. He's going to get everyone killed. It's bet
Darren POV:"I want every single one of Ryel's wolves watched and followed. And you, and Alessia report to my office now."The command hits sharp in my head, tight like a wire pulled taut.Shit.I shoot a glance towards the clearing where Alessia still stands with Cyre - her face ashen, silent but steady. Her gaze hasn't left the last pyre whose flame have started crackle lower.She looks like she's seen a ghost.I approach her quietly, boots soft against the soil still soaked from yesterday's storm. A few wolves nod at me in passing - grief-striken, exhausted - but I don't stop. Not until I'm close enough to speak without being overheard."Alessia," I say gently.She doesn't flinch. Both of them. She just lower her head, drawing in a breath that sounds like it weighs a hundred pounds."Derek's calling us," I murmur. "Now. His office."I catch the way Cyre's eyes glow with desperation. "You need to believe me, Alessia," she says.Believe what? Was she telling Alessia something about R