MasukTamara’s POV
As soon as Jack was out of sight, I rushed to my room, and went straight to the closet. It was time to begin the first phase of my plan. I shoved aside the soft, delicate dresses Jack liked me to wear and reached for the boldest, most daring outfit I had. It was a leather warrior set, black and fierce, with intricate gold and silver designs that gleamed in the light. The material hugged my body in all the right places, showcasing both my curves but still making me look powerful. It was a piece specifically made for a Luna. It commanded attention, and respect, so Jack hated it when I wore it. He didn’t like the fact that whenever I wore it, every single pair of eyes always ignored him to focus on me. It was perfect. I turned to the mirror and started applying a little makeup. That was another thing Jack had never allowed me to do in my past life. He used to say that he didn’t want me looking too good, because he was afraid that someone would realize how beautiful I was, and take me away from him. I used to think he was joking, but after our marriage, when he started locking me up at home, I soon realized he was very serious. He was scared someone would steal me away before he could claim my pack completely, and that was the very same fear I would use against him. For the final touch to my outfit, i picked up the Alpha’s chest pin my parents gave me before they retired. It was designed as a golden Phoenix, it was meant to signify the transition from a child to the pack’s leader, and since a Phoenix was also the symbol of death and rebirth, I thought it was the perfect jewelry for me. Suddenly a soft voice sounded behind me making me freeze. “Tamara?” I spun around to see Violet, my best friend standing at the doorway. I stared at her, unable to believe my eyes. She was alive. “Violet?” I whispered, shakily. In my past life, I was forced to to watch as Jack and Katie cruelly beheaded her right in front of me, claiming that she had been plotting with King Dante to kill me. I hadn’t believed them of course, and I even fought to save her. But then, Violet’s own husband, Richard, had provided some evidence that proved she helped Dante to kill my parents and I was heartbroken. Violet had crawled on her knees, begging, crying and telling me that Alpha Dante wasn’t our true enemy but I didn't understand her then. I still tried to save her, but Jack cruelly killed her right in front of me. I was devastated. Later, I found out that her so called husband Richard had fabricated everything, just so that he could inherit all her property and marry his younger mistress. Richard was our Gamma and Jack's closest friend, so they planned everything together. They had successfully gotten rid of both of their wives and had replaced us with their mistresses. But here was Violet now, my beautiful best friend standing in front of me. Alive and healthy. I rushed forward to hug her tighter than I had ever held anyone in my life. “I’m so sorry,” I whispered to her. “I should have listened to you, I’m so, so sorry.” I cried and she was stunned . Violet awkwardly patted my back, clearly confused about why I was acting like this. “Tamara? … are you okay? What’s going on?” I pulled back to look at her innocent face and smiled. “I’m fine now that you’re here,” I said honestly, “And i promise I’ll protect you this time, Violet. I won’t let anything happen to you. Not this time.” She frowned and placed her palm on my forehead to feel my temperature. “Are you sure you’re alright? Are you feeling feverish?” She asked and I shook my head with a laugh. She frowned more. “Then what are you talking about?” She asked before suddenly noticing my warrior outfit. “And… why are you dressed like that?” “I’m going to the warriors’ meeting,” I told her. Violet’s face immediately tensed, and her eyes widened in alarm. “No, Tamara, no,” she suddenly whispered urgently, grabbing my hands. “You don’t have to go to that meeting. Please, you have to trust me. Stay out of this.” Her sudden fear startled me. Why didn’t she want me to go? I knew that she was constantly trying to protect me, she was the only one who ever dared to tell me the truth about Jack and Kate, and that was probably why they had her killed. But what was the problem now? Why didn’t she want me to go to the meeting when it could help me save my pack? “Violet, what’s wrong? What aren’t you telling me?” I asked, but she refused to say anything else, just insisting that I shouldn’t go to the meeting. Whatever she was hiding, it only made me more determined to go to the meeting and find out. I grabbed her wrist and began walking to the meeting. Violet tried to protest, but I didn’t give her the chance as I dragged her with me down the hallway, to the meeting room. When we arrived at the meeting hall, I heard voices talking, so I pushed open the doors with force, and all eyes immediately turned to me, then the hall immediately fell deadly silent. I felt Violet stiffen beside me, and my eyes followed her line of sight until it landed at the top of the table where Jack was sitting. But that wasn’t what made her freeze, what made her freeze was the fact that Kate was sitting right beside him, on the Luna’s chair, right were I was supposed to be sitting. I gritted my teeth as my blood began to boil. That fucking bitch! So this was why Jack didn’t want me to come to the meeting. He was already trying to replace me with Kate. Already giving her my position as Luna, even though I was still alive. He said this meeting wasn't a place for a woman, but that rule clearly didn't apply to my sister. So he had been stopping from attending important meetings, just so he could parade his slut in my place? My fists clenched at my sides, How dare they?!Chris’s povIn a split second, I moved across the room like a blur. I grabbed Lily by the throat, slamming her hard against the stone wall beside my desk. The force of the impact rattled the picture frames on the wall."Chris!" Lily gasped, her pale green eyes stretching wide with sudden, absolute terror as my hands tightened around her neck.My dark amber eyes flared with lethal, blinding Alpha aura. My fangs elongated, and my chest heaved with wild, furious growls. The air in the office turned suffocatingly heavy, crushed under the weight of my rage."Listen to me very carefully, Lily," I snarled, my voice dropping into a terrifying, guttural register right against her ear. "You can complain about Anna. You can complain about the throne. You can complain about the house staff. But if you *ever* speak Sarah’s name like that again, I will rip your fucking throat out with my bare hands."Lily gasped for air, her hands clutching at my wrist, her knees trembling beneath her. She had nev
Chris’s povI slammed the heavy wooden door of my private study shut, but it didn't stop Lily from storming in right behind me."I cannot fucking believe you, Chris!" Lily screamed, her face flushed red with pure rage as she threw her hands into the air. "You humiliated me! In front of the servants! In front of *her*!"I walked over to my desk, rubbing my thumb against the bridge of my nose as a massive headache pulsed behind my eyes. I was exhausted. I had spent the last six hours dealing with border breach reports, trying to secure our dying territory, and managing the suffocating tension between Anna and me. I didn't have the energy for Lily’s drama."Lily, please," I muttered, my voice low and weary. "Just lower your voice. I have work to do.""Lower my voice?!" Lily shrieked, marching right up to my desk and slamming both of her palms onto the mahogany surface. "You took away my authority at dinner! You let Anna—an exiled outsider—order me around and take my staff! You made me lo
Author’s note; just checking in. Please if you are still reading, drop a comment. I want to know if I should finish this book, or drop it.Anna’s povChris stood pinned against the wall, his chest rising and falling heavily as my fingers stayed dug into his shirt collar. Tears were still filling my eyes, but I was burning with pure, unadulterated fury."Answer me, Chris!" I screamed, my voice shaking the hallway. "What did she do to our daughter?!"Chris didn't push my hands away. He didn't raise his voice. He just looked down at me, his dark amber eyes filled with a raw, painful shadow."I didn't know it was this bad, Anna," Chris said softly, his voice trembling slightly.I blinked, taking a small step back, though my hands dropped slowly from his shirt. "What?"Chris let out a long, shuddering breath, running a hand over his tired face. He leaned his head back against the stone wall, looking up at the ceiling."Why do you think I blackmailed you to come back?" Chris asked quiet, h
Anna’s POV My hands were still shaking from the text message about the East, but I forced myself to swallow the panic. Right now, I had to stay focused on Sarah. Chris met me at the end of the long hallway leading toward the Alpha family wing. He looked around nervously, checking the empty corridor. "Lily is down in the main kitchen," Chris whispered, his voice low. "I told her there was an emergency with the vendor contracts for the Alpha summit, and she needed to inspect the banquet prep personally. It will keep her busy for at least an hour." "Good," I said, my steel-gray eyes narrowing. "Lead the way." Chris pulled a silver key from his pocket and led me down the quiet, carpeted hallway. He stopped in front of a heavy wooden door at the far end. Before sliding the key into the lock, Chris paused. He turned to face me, his dark amber eyes filled with a heavy, uncomfortable shadow. "Anna," Chris said softly, hesitation clear in his voice. "Before you go in... I need to warn
Anna’s povI was basically yelling at Chris now. "Sarah barely smiles anymore, Chris," I said, my voice cracking as the anger turned into raw, aching heartbreak. "You are her father! How can you stand by and watch Lily strip away everything that made Sarah special? How can you let her isolate our child?"Chris stood completely still. He stared down at me, looking at the pure pain in my steel eyes.I prepared myself for him to fight back. I expected him to defend Lily, to shout at me, to tell me I had no rights here because I was banished. I braced my body, ready to scream at him, ready to fight with everything I had.Instead, Chris let out a long, shuddering breath.The harsh, arrogant mask on his face completely crumbled. He looked tired, older, and deeply regretful."You're right," Chris said softly.I blinked, completely stunned. My brain froze. "What?""You're right, Anna," Chris repeated, his voice quiet and heavy with emotion. "I've been so focused on the war, on the borders, on
Anna’s povI sat on the edge of my small bed, staring at the folded piece of thick parchment in my hands.The red **X** marked directly over my daughter’s bedroom burned into my retinas.*The Alpha's distraction is complete. Proceed with stage two tomorrow night.*My first instinct last night had been to run straight to Chris, to shove this paper in his face, and demand he lock down the entire house. But as the cold morning light filtered through the dusty window, my rational mind kicked in.There truly was a mole in this pack house, someone high enough to know guard rotations and secure layout maps. Chris was blindly trusting the people around him. If I handed this map to him, it could instantly alert the traitor that we knew. I couldn't trust Chris to handle this safely. Not yet.I carefully slid the parchment into a hidden zippered pocket inside my tactical bag.I pulled out my phone and tapped the screen. Nothing. No missed calls, no texts from Dorian after our explosive argument







