Tamara's POV The moment Lady Regina uttered the words “in front of noblewomen of the north,” my stomach plummeted. My mind raced with the implications. This wasn’t just a game—it was a spectacle, a test designed to humiliate me. Lucy’s smug grin confirmed my fears. I could already imagine her scheming ways to make me look like a fool. As soon as I excused myself from Lady Regina’s presence, I rushed to find Dante. My heart pounded with urgency, and my feet barely touched the ground as I navigated the corridors of the palace. When I burst into his office, I didn’t even bother with pleasantries. “Dante, Dante! you have to help me,” I blurted, barely catching my breath. “Lady Regina wants me to participate in some... ridiculous game in front of the noblewomen of the north. And Lucy’s involved! You know she’ll do everything to humiliate me! help me get out of it” Dante looked up from his paperwork, his expression amused. “Oh, that. Mother and Lucy tricked you into agreeing, didn’t
Tamara's POV I looked between them, my concern growing. “Sophie, is he… is he hurting you?” “No!” Sophie said quickly, though her voice wavered. “He’s just… frustrated. I don’t blame him. I should’ve communicated better.” I wasn’t convinced, I knew signs of abuse from my experience with Jack and Sophie was clearly being abused and manipulated. “Sophie, you don’t have to defend him. If he’s treating you badly, we’ll protect you.” She shook her head again, her tears starting anew. “It’s not that simple, Tamara. He’s my husband. I made a vow to be with him through thick and thin, I can't just let it go because he has some flaws.” "Flaws?" Casper gaped. "Flaws could be him forgetting to say I love you, not telling you that you're a piece of shit that is better off dead!" Casper yelled and my eyes widened. "He said that to her?" I asked and Casper nodded, "that was one of the nicer things actually, I can't repeat the rest or I might go back there and kill him." Sophie sobb
Tamara's POV Sophie finally sobered slightly, though her eyes still sparkled with amusement. “Tamara, do you know why all the northern Lunas learn archery?” I blinked at her, thrown off by the sudden change in topic. “Uh… no?” “It’s because there might come a time when we can’t rely on our wolves in battle. Archery is a skill that doesn’t require shifting—it’s about precision, patience, and focus. Every Luna in the north usually learns it as part of her training.” I groaned and buried my face in my hands. “Well, I liked to skip those lessons back in my pack. Now I’m doomed.” “You’re not doomed,” Sophie said firmly. "The point of my story is this, A Luna must know how to win her challenge or defeat her enemy despite not having her preferred weapons, so the key isn't being great at archery, the key is finding a way to win."I arched my brows at that.Sophie smiled. “I’ll teach you. We still have time, and I’ll make sure you’re ready.” I peeked at her through my fingers. “You
Tamara's POV Morning came far too quickly, and I woke with my heart pounding in my chest. Anxiety wrapped around me like a suffocating blanket as the sunlight streamed through the windows. My mind replayed every possible scenario of failure, each more mortifying than the last. Before I could spiral any further, a warm hand slid over my waist, and I turned to see Dante’s sleepy but concerned expression. “Tamara,” he murmured, his voice still husky from sleep. “You’re trembling. What’s wrong?” “What’s wrong?” I whispered incredulously. “The game, Dante! Today’s the day I make a complete fool of myself in front of every noblewoman in the North. That’s what’s wrong.” He chuckled softly and leaned in to kiss me, his lips lingering on mine until I momentarily forgot how to breathe. When he pulled back, his golden eyes were calm and reassuring. “You won’t embarrass yourself. You’re Tamara, my Luna. You’re stronger than you think.” “Dante,” I mumbled, my voice shaky. “You’re biased.” “
Tamara's POV The second game was a test of agility, speed, and strategy—a kind of obstacle course where we had to navigate various challenges to retrieve a flag and bring it back to the starting point. I wasn’t thrilled about it at first, but as the game went on, I found myself surprising even myself. I dodged swinging logs, climbed walls with more ease than I expected, and managed to stay ahead of most of the women, including Lucy and Miriam. When I crossed the finish line with the flag in hand, a wave of cheers erupted from the crowd. I turned to see Lucy stomping across the line moments later, her face red with fury. “You think you’re so clever, don’t you?” she snapped, storming up to me. I raised an eyebrow, still catching my breath. “No, I think I’m just faster than you. Or is that what’s bothering you?” Her eyes narrowed dangerously. “You got lucky.” “Maybe,” I said with a shrug. “But luck counts too, doesn’t it?” Before Lucy could say anything else, Lady Regina’s voice
Tamara's POV The moment the furious looking man spotted Sophie, his expression shifted into something that was dangerously wild and possessive. He stormed toward her, his voice booming. “Sophie, you stupid woman! Come here, now!” Sophie flinched, shrinking behind me like a frightened child. Without thinking, I stepped in front of her. I wasn't about to let this asshole abuse her in front of me. “Stay where you are,” I said firmly, my voice steady despite the nervous flutter in my stomach. The man's gaze snapped to me, dark and full of rage. “Who the hell do you think you are?” he growled. “This is between me and my wife. Move.” “I’m her friend, and your future Luna” I shot back. “Plus she doesn’t look like she wants to go with you so I suggest you get lost immediately.” “Tamara, don’t,” Sophie whispered behind me, tugging on my arm. “Please, just let me handle this.” “Handle what? You’re terrified of him, Sophie,” I said, not breaking eye contact with the man. Sop
Tamara's povHoly shit! I could hear Nathan's thoughts and the bastard wasn't sorry at all, in fact, he planned to hurt Sophie even more, I had to save her. “Tamara, what’s wrong?” Dante demanded, his eyes narrowing at Nathan. I steadied myself and looked at Dante, then back at Nathan. “Don’t let him go, I think you need to punish him,” I said, my voice firm. “What?” Sophie gasped I shock, "Luna please." she begged but I ignored her. “He’s lying,” I said, meeting Dante’s gaze. “He’s not sorry, and he’s not going to change. He’s dangerous to Sophie and he isn't loyal to his Alpha.” “Excuse me?” Nathan snapped, his tone defensive. “Woman! You don’t know anything about me, I already said I was sorry, I love Sophie and I'm forever loyal to our Alpha, what more do you want me to say?!” “You don't have to say anything," I snapped. "I already know enough,” I retorted. “Guards!” Two pack warriors stepped forward, their expressions serious and blood thirsty. “Escort him off
Tamara’s POV Despite Dantes assurance, I spent the entire morning of the next day pacing back and forth in my room, unable to shake the uneasy feeling clawing at my chest. The memory of hearing Nathan’s thoughts—or at least what I thought were his thoughts—was stuck in my mind like an infuriating thorn I couldn’t remove. What if I’d been wrong? What if I had fucked up badly?What if it was all in my imagination, and now Nathan was locked up in the cells for nothing? The idea made my stomach churn. Dante was sitting on the edge of the bed, watching me with a mixture of concern and amusement as I wrung my hands for the tenth time. “Sweet heart, you’re going to wear a hole in the floor if you keep pacing like that.” I shot him a look. “I can’t help it, Dante. What if I was wrong? What if I imagined everything? Nathan could be innocent, and I—” “You weren’t wrong,” Dante interrupted, his voice firm. He stood and crossed the room, pulling me into his arms. “Tamara, I trust your j
Kayla's POV After breakfast, I insisted on helping the staff with chores—cleaning the tables, washing dishes, folding laundry. I needed to do something with my hands that would keep my thoughts from spiralling intodark thoughts.Plus I was eager to start helping the children as fast as possible. The funny thing was that the kids followed me around, asking questions about where I came from, if I had a wolf, if I’d ever seen the Alpha in real life. I smiled and answered as vaguely as I could, not ready to explain the chaos I’d run from. But for the first time in days, I felt a strange sense of peace.Like I was right where I should be. I was hanging laundry out back when one of the staff—Elara, a tall woman with sharp gray eyes and a strong build—approached me. “You’re quite the helper Miss Kayla,” she said, nodding with a basket on her hip. “I needed something to keep me busy,” I replied. She glanced around before adding, “You know, Lady Anna swears you’ve been here before.”
Kayla I ended up spending the night at the Orphanage and it was one of the most restful nights I've had in weeks.Sure, I might have had one or two night mares where I saw Adrian kissing Candice in her room while my body wrecked with painful sobs, but hey, it was better than the nightmares I usually had about the darkness that was trying to take control of me.I knew that I would finally be able to get rid of the problem when I finally get to the Oracle's sanctuary, but I just had to wait until the guards weren't searching for me so persistently.To be honest, I'm surprised that Adrian was putting that much effort into finding me now when he had been ignoring me for the last few days.Hadn't Candice satisfied him enough? Or was he so greedy that he wanted the two of us at the same time?Men! I should have known better than to let myself trust them again. Especially after how Xavier treated me.I had stupidly let myself become a fool for love again! How pathetic!I definitely won't le
Kayla's POV I really didn’t know where I was going at first. Not really. My feet just kept moving, dragging me farther away from the palace, from the pack... from Adrian. Every step felt more gut wrenching than the last, like my body wanted to turn back even though my heart refused to. Where do I go? I paused in the shadow of an old bakery, pressing my back to the cold brick wall as I hugged the jacket tighter around me. My breath was beginning to puff visibly in the cold evening air, and the wind cut through my clothes like icy knives.I would go to mountain, I finally decided. It was the only place I knew where I would be accepted by someone.I obviously couldn't go back to Xavier's pack but it was the only other place I knew, so the Oracle's sanctuary was my best vet.Plus If there was any place I could find answers—or strength—it was with her. Maybe I could even finish my training. Maybe I could finally understand why I was… this. Why I couldn’t control my power or trust my
Kayla's POVI sat on the cold marble floor, clutching one of Adrian’s shirts to my chest, tears streaming down my face like a damn faucet I couldn’t turn off.How could he do this to me? After everything. After all his promises to always fight for me. To never let me feel alone again.He spent the night with her.Candice.It took one fight, one misunderstanding, and he ran straight to her. I didn’t even need to ask anyone. The moment Connor hesitantly told me the truth, I saw it. Clear as day. The shattered pieces of my heart lay scattered around the room like the vases I’d broken last night.The bed smelled like him. The sheets, the pillows — all of it haunted me. His scent, his warmth... gone. Just like that.“He was never going to choose you,” the necklace whispered in that low, silky voice that made my skin crawl. “Men like him choose women like Candice. Pretty, obedient. The kind that don’t challenge them.”“Shut up,” I muttered, dragging myself up to the bed to unzip the duffe
Adrian's POV I tried hard to remember last night but my head soon began to hurt from the effort and I still came up blankPanic was quickly beginning to seize me until I suddenly heard Candice's voice. "Relax Alpha," she said from across the room, her legs tucked under her in a chair by the window with a mug in her hand. "You don't need to try hard to remember what happened last night.""Huh?" I asked in confusion.Candice smiled. "I can read your emotions on your face, and what I meant to say was Nothing interesting happened." I blinked blearily at her. "What...?" "You passed out last night after drinking that extra bottle I told you not to drink," she said simply. "I didn’t want the entire palace gossiping about how their great Alpha can’t hold his liquor so I brought you to the guest room in my quarters. I just brought coffee for you this morning." She gestured to the tray on the table. I let out a breath of relief. I didn't betray Kayla because nothing had happened between us
Adrian’s POVI'm an idiot, I know that. I'm an idiot who's hopelessly in love with a woman but still too scared of his feelings for her.These last few days have really wrecked my mental state and drinking with Candice made me forget my worries for just a few hours.But even that, didn't last long. Because once my eyes landed on Kayla, everything came flooding back.She had made lunch and brought it to me, which meant that she had been thinking of me and probably tried to reach me earlier but I had blocked her.I just wanted time to process thoughts without interruptions or guilt. But that turned out to be impossible because the second I saw the look on Kayla’s face when I refused the food she brought, a bitter knot formed in my stomach. Her smile faltered and was replaced by something smaller, tighter. Hurt. She held the tray down carefully, almost as if she were afraid it would shatter if she moved too quickly.Then she offered to make dinner but I turned it down too and I could
Kayla's POV "It's not any of your concern Kayla. I suggest you drop it... for your own good."What nonsense was he saying. Xavier was my ex husband and very obvious enemy of Adrian. What did he mean it was non of my concern?I was very confused now. Didn't Hector say he had nothing to do with Xavier? Didn't he say he was going to change his relationship with Adrian for the better? What was he hiding now? I pressed on. “You know meeting with him, especially after everything that happened, is only going to make things worse with Adrian. Do you really want to make things more complicated?” He turned his head toward me, his expression hardening slightly. “I don’t care anymore what Adrian thinks. He’s never cared about what I’ve done, and he never will. Besides, I don’t see the problem with talking to someone who actually listens to me.” I felt my heart twist in my chest. “I know you’re upset, Hector, but you promised me—even before I stopped Adrian from banishing you—that you’d stop w
Kayla's POV I couldn’t get Xavier’s smug face out of my mind as I stormed down the hall. I needed to get away from him. From all of it. Adrian, Candice, Xavier... everything felt like it was crashing down. But I still had something to do. I walked briskly toward the holding cells, tray of food in my hands, trying to ignore the flutter of doubt and anger in my chest. I had come this far. I wasn’t going to let Xavier’s words, or my own jealousy, ruin everything. When I reached Hector’s cell, I paused for a moment. The guards were standing nearby, looking bored as usual. They didn’t even seem to notice me at first, so I took the chance to slip past them. But then one of them suddenly stepped in my path, a scowl forming on his face. “Where do you think you’re going?” he sneered. I blinked. “Excuse me?” “You can’t bring food to him,” the guard snapped, his tone rude and dismissive. I frowned. “Actually, I can. And I will. I’m Lady Kayla the Alpha’s fiancée, and I’ll bring food to
Kayla's POV My heart sank at Adrian's words. He didn't even want to talk to me this morning but he was here laughing his ass off and eating with Candice.I forced a smile, but it didn’t reach my eyes. “Of course,” I muttered. “I didn’t mean to interrupt.” Candice beamed at me, clearly in a much better mood than I was. “It’s good to see you again. I’ve really missed you,” she said, taking another bite of her food. I stood there, frozen, trying to ignore the bitterness that crept into my thoughts. Why was she so comfortable here? Why was she eating with him like they did this every day? And why had Adrian invited her to his office when he wouldn't even talk to me?Candice noticed the awkwardness and tried to bridge the tension. "Come sit with us! We have so much to catch up on, but we also have all the time in the world since I'm back living at the palace now!"That made me freeze.“What?” I asked, voice a little higher than I intended.Candice beamed. “Alot happened when you were aw