LOGINContinuation of flashback"Moon Goddess!!" I roar with all my strength, my voice echoing off the stone walls. "Please! Answer me!"I wait, hoping for a sign. If she doesn't answer, I’ll take my own life right here. I have nothing to live for. My mother is dead, and my father is a monster I am too weak to kill.The air in the room suddenly thins. A soft, iridescent light begins to glow, and the Moon Goddess appears before me. She looks like the moon itself. Ethereal, glowing, and terrifyingly beautiful."Hello, brave one," she says, her voice like the chime of silver bells. "You called for me. What does your heart desire?"I can't see her features clearly because my vision is blurred by tears and rage, but I can feel her presence. It’s overwhelming. I step away from my mother's corpse, my jaw set as I approach the Goddess."Moon Goddess, Give me the ability to kill the reigning Alpha," I demand. "Give me the power to kill my father."The Goddess is silent for a long time, her light pul
Third Person POVSelene stood by the bed, looking down at the girl. Rhea appeared so small now, so insignificant, her breathing shallow and her face pale against the dark covers."Is she out?"Selene turned around to find Nora standing by the door, arms crossed tightly over her chest. Nora looked nervous, her eyes darting toward Rhea’s limp form."Completely," Selene said, smoothing down her robe. She walked over to the table and picked up the bottle of wine, pouring the rest of it down the drain in the small kitchenette. "How was it? Stalling her?"Nora scoffed, though her voice trembled slightly. "It was hard. She kept talking about her stupid father, and about Marcus. She’s so desperate for someone to trust. It was like leading a lamb to a cliff.""You did well," Selene commended her, giving her a sharp, approving look. "Your performance as the 'guilt-ridden friend' was perfect. She never suspected a thing."Nora looked away, her jaw tight. "I just want this over with. You promised
RheaThe room is very quiet as I stare at Selene Nightengale. I hear the sound of a clock tick and the sound of guard’s boots outside. I look at the wine glass Selene pushed toward me. It's filled with deep red wine that shines under the dim lamps. My dry throat is dry, partly from a long clinic shift and nerves of sitting across from the woman who was supposed to be the Luna of this pack.“Come on, have a drink with me.” She raises her own cup and pauses for a moment before taking it to her lips. I pause for a moment before taking a small sip like her. The wine sweet with a bit of a metallic aftertaste that I figure comes from the pricey vintage. I set the glass down, my hands folded tightly in my lap."I suppose you’re wondering why I asked you here," Selene says in a smooth and melodic voice. She doesn't drink her wine anymore, She just watching me with those clear, calm eyes."The guard said it was urgent," I remind her, trying to keep my voice even.Selene lets out a small sigh,
By the time my shift wraps up, the sun's starting to go down. I’m totally drained, my head a jumble of medical charts and thoughts about my missing dad. I’m packing up my stuff, getting ready to head back to the private wing when Nora steps out from behind a pillar.She looks better than she did last time, but there’s still a frantic look in her eyes, as if she's scared of something."Rhea," she whispers, catching my arm."Nora? What are you doing here?""I…I had to see you," she says, looking over her shoulder. "Have you told him yet? About Marcus? About what he's planning to do?"I sigh, leaning back against the cold stone wall. "No. I haven't.""Why not? Rhea, he’s dangerous. Every second you wait is a second Marcus gets closer to whatever his end game is.""I know that, Nora! But Adrian is… he’s reactive. If I tell him Marcus might be the one behind the attack, he’ll burn down half the forest looking for him.And right now, we don't know if he has my father. I can't take that risk.
RheaMy lips are still tingling by the time I reach the workers' quarters. I try to scrub the blush off my cheeks with the heels of my hands, but it’s no use. Sira won’t stop humming in the back of my head, a soft laughter that makes it impossible to focus. I take a few deep breaths, adjust my scrubs, and push through the doors of the medical wing.The moment I walk in, Taylor is there, her eyes widening as she takes me in. She’s been my closest friend here, but ever since I moved into the main manor, there’s been this weird, invisible wall between us. I hate it a lot."Look who decided to show up," Taylor says, though she’s smiling. She pulls me into a quick, tight hug. "We missed you yesterday. The place was a mess.""I'm sorry, Tay,” I say, feeling that familiar pang of guilt. "Things have just been… a lot.""I bet," another nurse, Sarah, chimes in as she passes by with a tray of bandages. She gives me a knowing look, the kind that says she’s heard the rumors about where I’m sleep
RheaI stand there, frozen in the doorway, staring at the man who is supposed to be the most powerful being in this territory. Adrian is still leaned against the wall, his chest heaving as if he’s just run a marathon. The sight of him…this ruthless, unbreakable Alpha looking so vulnerable makes my stomach twist in a way that has nothing to do with the bond. "You’re…cursed?" I repeat, my voice barely a whisper. "Adrian, what are you talking about? How is that even possible?"He finally looks up at me. The golden glow in his eyes has faded, replaced by a dull, aching grey. He looks exhausted. He straightens his back with a groan, forcing his body to obey him again, but I can see the slight trembling in his hands."It wasn't an accident, Rhea," he says, his voice rough. "It was a choice. I asked the moon goddess and took it upon myself years ago.""Why would anyone choose something like that?" I ask, stepping closer despite the warning bells in my head. As a nurse, my instinct to help
RheaI’m sitting on one of the small chairs in the workers' quarters, watching my good friend, Taylor, fold a stack of linens. She looks different now. She looks stronger. The change into a werewolf has sharpened her features, I somehow wish I could experience that. But I can’t.After I treated the
RheaI’m starting to think these people are losing their minds. Because why else would they think I, a normal human, is their Alpha’s true mate just because I refused his order?I look around the room at the shocked elders and the stunned guards, and a sense of amusement bubbles up in my chest. Som
AdrianI watch Rhea as she begins her treatment on Selene, her beautiful face frowning in concentration. She picks up the syringe and douses it with an orange substance, probably the drug that’s meant to fight off the poison. Then she raises the syringe and stabs it into Selene’s slender neck in on
RheaAs soon as I reach my room, I quickly grab my phone—thankfully I’d left it before the pack’s Luna had almost killed me—and click on Mrs Rose's contact. The line rings for just a few seconds before she picks up.I release a breath of relief the moment I hear her voice. “Hello, child. Funny I wa







