LOGINADELINEPrincess Vivian did not see me. She walked up the stone steps of the palace with her head held high, her dress billowing behind her. She moved with so much grace that it made my chest ache. The guards bowed low as she passed them, their faces full of respect. They didn't look at her with the disgust or the anger they usually showed me. To them, she was the true Luna. I stood there for a long time, frozen in place. My legs felt weak, and my heart was heavy. I told myself not to care. I told myself that I knew this would happen eventually. From the moment the bond formed, the elders had been screaming for her return. But knowing it and seeing it were two different things. Seeing her beauty and her confidence made me feel small. It made me feel like the mistake everyone said I was.Despite my attempts to stay strong, I felt the hot sting of tears in my eyes. I turned away from the entrance and hurried inside through a side door. I didn't want to run into the welcoming party.
ADELINEThe first thing I felt as I rose back into consciousness was the warmth of a hand on mine. My eyes fluttered open, and the bright lights of the infirmary made me wince. Everything felt heavy, as if my limbs were made of lead. I groaned as I looked around, wondering where I was. Then, the memory of the ritual hit me like a wave; the pain, the screaming, and the fire that had tried to tear me apart. I gasped at that, my hand flying straight to my stomach. "Your baby is fine, Adeline. Breathe. Just breathe,” a voice assured me.I turned around to see Bessie sitting beside me. She looked tired, but she gave me a small, reassuring smile. Muttering a string of prayers, I let out a long breath I didn't know I was holding, the rapid beating of my heart gradually slowing down. I was okay. My baby was okay."But how?" I asked Bessie. "I remember the oracle... he wouldn't stop. He just kept going. So how did I make it out alive?”“It was the King who stopped him," Bessie said. “He sa
DOMINICAdeline felt light and frail in my arms as I hurried through the palace. Her head rested against my shoulder, and her skin felt cold to the touch. Every time I looked down, the sight of the blood dripping out of her nose made my stomach twist with guilt. I had agreed to this ritual. I was the one who let the oracle hurt her, and now that choice was haunting me.A deep pain pierced my chest. I told myself that a King must be strong and that my pack came first, but those excuses felt hollow now. Seeing her broken like this didn't make me feel like a leader. It made me feel like a monster. My only hope right now was that she would open her eyes soon.The medical wing was busy, and I shouted for help the moment I stepped inside. Doctors and servants scrambled to get out of my way as I weaved past. After laying her gently on a bed in a private room, a familiar looking nurse stepped out from the shadows.She looked at Adeline with a serious expression and then turned to me.“I wi
DOMINICI stood by the altar, my arms crossed tightly over my chest. I felt like a stranger in my own skin. Every part of me wanted to reach out to her, but I forced myself to stay frozen to the spot. This ritual was long overdue, after all.But the moment Adeline hit the floor, my heart felt like it was being ripped out of my own body.Her scream was so loud it echoed off the cold stone walls. My eyes snapped to where she was standing, hunched over in pure agony. I gripped my own arms so hard my claws began to pierce through my sleeves, drawing my own blood.“Hold her still!” the oracle shouted, gesturing to the guards who immediately rushed forward. She was thrashing around like a dying bird trapped in a cage, her fingers clawing desperately at the floor. I saw her fingernails scrape against the ground leaving white marks as she fought the invisible force tearing at her insides.My jaw clenched. Fuck.He had told me it would be painful for her, but did it really have to get to t
ADELINE“No, no, no!” I fell to the ground in a fruitless attempt to save the vial. But it was already gone. My chest felt hollow as I stared at the mess on the ground, realizing that my last hope was gone. I wanted to blame myself for being careless, but I halted that line of thought and turned to the guard who had shoved me.“Why did you do that?!”He exchanged looks with the other guard and they both burst into laughter. “Who the fuck do you think you’re talking to, Omega?” He hissed, spitting at my feet. “Are you still in dreamland? Do you still think you have any authority over us?”Without warning, the second guard aimed a hard kick to my shin, making me stumble. The pain was sharp and sudden and I had to bite down hard on my lip to keep from crying out.They both burst into another round of laughter. My fists clenched. I wanted to say something, to fight back and defend myself. But I knew it wouldn’t matter. Today was my last day in the palace anyway, and they had been waiti
ADELINEFor a long, terrifying moment, I could not speak. I just stared at her in surprise, wondering why she was here. If the gossip had spread through the pack, that meant it must have reached her as well. “Adeline,” she acknowledged. “So…we meet again.”The uncertainty was making me so anxious I felt my stomach churn. So many different possibilities tortured me. What if she decided to use this opportunity to blackmail me? Was she going to reveal my secret? I couldn’t tell. I swallowed hard, fiddling with my fingers. Seeing her reminded me of that day in the hospital. After everything she did, I owed her one. Not only did she save my baby, she also covered for me when Alpha Dominic appeared unexpectedly. “I’m really sorry about the other day at the hospital," I blurted out before she could say anything else. “I lied about the pregnancy and my situation. You were kind to me and there’s no excuse for what I did. I should have been honest.”When I looked up at her, I saw her taking
DOMINIC I was almost running by the time I reached the training field, my chest heaving. But when I neared the spot where the two of them were standing, my movements came to an abrupt halt. I'd barged out here without thinking it through. But now that I thought about it, I had no idea why I was h
DOMINIC I took a sip of champagne, my eyes roaming the hall in search of Adeline. When I didn't see her in the spot where she'd been standing last, I straightened up with a jolt, my senses on full alert.Although I sent her off to mingle with the crowd, my eyes had been trailing her discreetly, fol
DOMINIC Up until this very moment, I had harbored a festering irritation and resentment against Adeline for how she wormed her way into becoming my Luna. Yes, there had been times when her actions strongly contradicted the gold-digging opportunist I'd imagined her to be, but I'd brushed it off, con
ADELINEI woke up with the rays of sun from the windows nearly blinding me. Yawning, I rubbed my eyes in an effort to wake myself up, wondering why the floor suddenly felt so comfortable. But when I tried to stretch out my arms, I felt a resistance holding me back. When I blinked away the sleep t







