Novel-novel oleh Cora L.

“Pen?” Alpha Raymond called the moment he stepped into their shared bedroom. His eyes swept across the room. It felt… wrong. Too quiet. Too still. Then his gaze landed on the bathroom door. He pushed it open. Her rack of skincare products was empty. A slow, unsettling realization crept up his spine. He turned sharply and strode toward the wardrobe. He flung it open. Empty. Her clothes were gone. That was when it truly hit him. She had left. “How could she?” he muttered, though there was no one there to answer him. His tone sharpened, anger surging through his veins like wildfire. He shoved a hand into his pocket and pulled out his phone. His thumb scrolled through a series of names until it found hers, his Luna. He dialed. The call declined instantly. He dialed again. Declined. A third time. Declined. His jaw tightened. Switching to messages, he typed furiously. ‘What do you think you’re doing, Pen? Stop being dramatic and return to the estate. You’re acting like a child.

The ride back to the estate was quiet. Raymond drove with both hands steady on the wheel, his posture relaxed, almost casual. Callan sat beside me in the back seat, his small fingers playing with the hem of his shirt while he stared out the window. I felt it. Those glances. Every few seconds, Raymond’s eyes would lift to the rearview mirror. They would settle on me briefly before returning to the road the moment he realized I had caught him watching. Neither of us said anything. I did not ask what he was thinking. I was afraid to. Because if I asked, he might answer. And if he answered, I might hear something I was not prepared for. From where I stood, what happened at the hospital had not looked innocent. The way that woman had stood close to him. The way his hand had wrapped around her arm. The softness in his voice when he tried to calm her. It had felt intimate. Familiar. He had been careful, yes. Controlled. Smiling at strangers as though nothing was wrong. But he had als

Mirelle POV I walked into the hospital ward where my son had been placed. Through the small glass window, I saw him. He was awake, sitting upright on the bed and talking animatedly with a nurse.A tear slipped down my cheek before I even realized I was crying. Relief hit me so hard my knees nearly buckled. Without thinking, I pushed the door open and rushed inside.His eyes lit up the moment he saw me. “Mummy!” he called, stretching his arms wide.I crossed the room in seconds and wrapped him in my arms, holding him tighter than I meant to.“When I woke up, I thought you were gone,” he whispered against my shoulder.I swallowed the sob climbing up my throat. “Mummy would never leave you,” I said softly, pulling back just enough to wipe my tears and give him a smile.But he was watching me carefully, not smiling. “Did I do something wrong?” he asked. “Are you hurt? Did I say something to make you sad?”He reached for me again, and instinctively, I pulled back just a little, afraid he

“They are waiting for you in the courtroom, Alpha.” My butler’s voice was steady as he stepped into my study.I didn’t look up immediately. “All of them?”“Yes, Alpha.”Good.I closed the file on my desk with deliberate calm. The sound echoed louder than it should have.It was time.After my conversation with Elder Morrison, I had ordered an emergency summons sent to the entire council. Morrison was bold but not foolish. If he dared move against me, he wasn’t moving alone.Snakes rarely hunt without a nest. And today, I intended to burn it.“You’re dismissed,” I said.He bowed and left.I rose from my chair, slipped into my coat, and walked toward the courtroom. My steps were unhurried. Every echo against the marble floor felt like a countdown.This time, I had asked my mother to attend. If I was going to shake the foundation of this pack, I wanted every witness necessary. When I pushed the doors open, silence fell instantly. My mother sat at the far end of the long table, regal and u

“I—I swear…” he stammered beneath me, his brows twitching violently. His body strained against the floor, muscles jerking as he fought for control.Pathetic.“Don’t bother,” I said calmly. “The medicine has already taken effect. You’re useless until it wears off.” Whatever fragile hope he had left died in his eyes.“And even if it didn’t,” I continued, leaning down so he could see exactly how unimpressed I was, “what would you do? You’re not strong enough to fight me. You’re not faster than me. You’d collapse before you even reached the door.”His breathing grew ragged.I crouched lower, my gaze locking onto his. “Now tell me,” I said softly, my voice turning ice-cold, “what exactly have you been conspiring behind my back, Elder Morrison?”“Someone has been feeding you lies!” he blurted out, panic cracking his voice. “I would never betray you. I’ve served this pack for decades. I was loyal to your Father. I swore the same to you!”I almost laughed. Before Dante left on his mission to

Dominic’s POV “You sent for me, Alpha.” Elder Morrison lowered himself into the chair across from my desk only after I gestured for him to sit. His movements were careful, measured. Respectful. Afraid. Good. It was common knowledge that I did not summon the elders unless the matter was urgent or dangerous. And I had made sure the guards remained stationed directly outside my office doors. Not because I needed protection. But because he needed the reminder. “I can see you’re uncomfortable,” I said mildly, leaning back in my chair. I let a faint, practiced smile curve my lips. “Relax, Elder Morrison. If I intended you harm, you would not have walked in here.” His throat bobbed. “I meant no offense, Alpha.” “None taken.” Silence stretched between us, thick as fog. I watched him the way a wolf watches prey not with haste, but with patience. “Elder Morrison,” I finally began, folding my hands over my desk. “I’ve received reports regarding how you handled the unrest within the eas

We stepped into the building, and I immediately understood why the exterior had felt so imposing. The interior was just as vast and elegant, if not more. High ceilings stretched above us, polished floors gleamed beneath our feet, and the air carried a quiet, refined stillness. Maids moved about with practiced efficiency, occasionally glancing in our direction before returning to their tasks. My aunt, however, chatted effortlessly, as though this place were no more remarkable than a modest home. So far, she seemed pleasant. Too pleasant. I was not convinced. She led me upstairs and finally showed me to my room. The moment I stepped inside, I realized it rivaled, if not surpassed, my room back home. It was a master bedroom, spacious and tastefully furnished, with a large bathroom tucked away at the far end. A king sized bed sat at the center, draped in silk sheets that caught the light. A wide window overlooked the back of the manor, offering a view of the grounds that seemed to stre

Kamari’s POVI sat in the car with my head bowed over a book that had once caught my interest. My finger turned each page out of habit, though none of the words truly reached me. My mind was too tangled in recent events to focus. Why was Father doing this, and for whom? Who had he been speaking to on the phone, and how was Ma taking all of it right now? I reached into my bag, pulled out my phone, and sent another message to Arial. It joined the long list of unread texts I had sent my sister. I did not know why she had not read them, but I clung to the hope that she would eventually. Maybe she needed space. Or maybe her phone battery was dead. I preferred the second explanation. With a quiet sigh, I slipped my phone back into my bag, closed the book, and turned my gaze toward the window. “Is something bothering you, miss?” the chauffeur asked, his eyes meeting mine through the rearview mirror. I did not want to answer, but two hours on the road with no one to talk to had worn me do

“You have gotten even faster, Casper,” his Beta said as they slowed to a stop, shifting back into their human forms.They were deep in the woods now, far from the house but still well within the territory. Laughter slipped from both of them as they dropped to the forest floor, muscles burning, lungs straining as they tried to catch their breath. They had been running without pause for nearly three hours, pushing themselves until exhaustion finally claimed them.Casper leaned back against a tree, tilting his head upward as his gaze drifted to the branches overhead.“Have you heard anything from the Pack lately?” he asked, not bothering to look at his Beta.The Beta nodded. “Nothing alarming. Things seem stable without you, for now. There have been no attacks from neighboring Packs. I honestly expected other Alphas to start circling, hoping to take advantage of your absence, but it seems no one has noticed yet.”“Your mother has noticed, though,” the Beta continued, his tone sobering. “

The truth was, while they argued, I had taken a moment to consider it. To be honest… staying under the same roof with Pa had already become suffocating. At least away from the pack, I would finally have of freedom, space where I could breathe, where he wouldn’t constantly hover over me, reminding me of my Mates and his disappointment at the Moon Goddess for what he called her cruel joke. “Do you hear yourself?” Ma’s voice rose, raw and trembling with emotion. She stood rigid, towering in frustration and hurt as I slowly rose to my feet. “You want to leave too? Why? Why do you girls want to abandon me so badly? Did I do something wrong? I’ve done nothing but love you both, care for you both, and now… now that you don’t need me, you want to leave?” Her voice cracked, and her eyes glistened, brimming with unshed tears. My chest tightened, and my heart ached. Arial’s banishment had wounded her deeply, and now this… seeing her like this, I felt a

Kamari’s POV “I have decided that Kamari should stay with my sister for a while, until things cool down before she returns home,” Pa announced at the breakfast table, his voice unnervingly calm. My spoon slipped from my fingers, clattering loudly against the plate. The sound echoed in the tense silence that followed, like a bell tolling a warning I wasn’t ready to hear. “You must be joking.” Ma’s voice cut through the air, sharp and incredulous. She stared at Pa, disbelief written across every line of her face. “You want to send Kamari away? To her aunt?” “Exactly what I just said,” Pa replied, his tone flat, devoid of warmth or hesitation. His gaze locked with hers, challenging, almost daring her to protest further. It had been only two days since Arial left, and the house hadn’t been the same since. Every corner felt heavier, every room suffocating in her absence. Her departure had created a strain between Ma and Pa, turning

As if the moon goddess herself, wished to echo Pa’s decision, thunder cracked across the sky the very moment he spoke. The sound rolled through the walls and into my bones, chilling me as though some invisible hand had touched my spine. Ma stumbled toward him, her breath shaky, her fingers trembling as she seized his shirt and forced him to face her. “What do you think you are doing, Roland?” Her voice wavered, not from fear but from a fury that made her lips quiver. She pulled Arial closer, clutching her daughter’s hand with a desperation only a mother could possess. “You want my baby to leave? Are you trying to hurt me?” Pa’s expression stayed maddeningly calm. He looked down at Ma, almost pitying her, before shaking his head. “Your love for these girls has spoiled them rotten. I’m sorry, Akriti, but I will not support you on this.” Ma’s fingers curled tighter around his collar, pulling him closer until her tears shimmered inches fro