MasukChapter Thirty ThreeClara’s expression twisted into something ugly and defensive.“That’s who you were meant to be,” she said. “The disappointment. The failure. The one who didn’t measure up. But here you are, somehow using that shame as a weapon to climb the social ladder. You’ve turned your greatest weakness into your most powerful tool, and you’re too much of a coward to even admit it.”She stepped closer again, invading my space.“Your shamelessness knows no bounds, Aria,” she continued. “You’ve learned to weaponize pity. To make your suffering everyone else’s problem. To force people to care about you because if they don’t, they look like monsters. It’s brilliant, really. Sociopathic, but brilliant.”Something cracked inside my chest. Not from pain, but from the sheer absurdity of what I was hearing.I pressed my hands to my face and took several deep breaths before I answered her.“Clara.”When I lowered my hands, I felt calmer. More resolved.“I know my limitations,” I said. “
Chapter Thirty Two~~Aria pov~~Two days after the confrontation with the Alpha King, I shut myself away in my room.I had not gone to work. Management had placed me on leave after Clara’s gossip spread through the pack like poison. The excuse was concerning. The truth was humiliation. It was easier to hide me than to deal with the whispers.I was sitting on the edge of my bed when the door slammed open with such force that the rusted hinges screamed in protest.I flinched.Clara stood in the doorway, her silk gown a cruel contrast to the peeling wallpaper and water stained ceiling of my room. She looked like she belonged to a different world, one that had never known hunger or fear or shame.“You selfish, conniving bitch,” Clara spat. “What did you do?”I did not turn around. I did not acknowledge her entrance beyond the way my shoulders tensed.“Clara, please,” I said flatly. My voice sounded hollow even to my own ears. “Come in if you must, but lower your voice. Your shouting will
Chapter Thirty OneI gasped as the world snapped back into focus.I was on my knees, trembling, with Lyrian beside me, his hands steadying my shoulders. The pressure of his touch was the only thing keeping me grounded.“You saw it too,” I said, my voice rough. “The memory.”“Kaelen…” I whispered. “He…”“He has been working with a witch,” Lyrian finished grimly. “Or maybe he is one. A hybrid, perhaps, hidden for centuries.” His eyes shifted to Kaelen, who still knelt frozen beneath the crushing weight of Lyrian’s aura. “That is how you did it. How you killed four Luna Queens without leaving a trace. Magic masks scent. It hides intent. It creates false trails.”Kaelen’s face was blank, stripped of all emotion. “I do not know what you are talking about.”“Oh, but you do,” Lyrian said as he rose to his full height.He pulled me up with him, his arm wrapping firmly around my waist. The gesture was both protective and possessive, and it sent a shiver through me.“Five centuries, Kaelen,” he
Chapter ThirtyThe years passed in a blur of scraped knees, shared secrets, and growing up together.Then, when we were fifteen, everything changed.I came to the house looking for Darius one afternoon and found him sitting on our usual bench, staring at nothing. Even from a distance, I could tell something was wrong. He sat too still, too rigid."Darius?"He did not look at me. "My mom died last night."The words hit me like a physical blow. I knew Darius’s mom. She was a kind woman who always smiled when she saw me, who baked cookies for us sometimes, who would tease me saying how good it would be if I were a boy and not a girl.My throat tightened. "What? Darius…"He said nothing. His hands were clenched into fists on his knees."What happened? How did she die"“She was kill and taken away,” he said calmly, but I could see the fury in his eyes.“But how can that be possible who could have done…”“Say no more, pretend you know nothing and do not ask any questions. It still goes back
Chapter Twenty- NineIt was as if the sound of my sobs finally broke through him.His grip loosened, the madness in his eyes fading.“You see?” he whispered, his voice rough with emotion. “Even you cannot bear to see me hurt. So tell me how could I ever bear to harm the one I love most in this world? The one whose smallest pain cuts deeper than any blade?”He ran a shaky hand through his hair.“Not trusting you back then destroyed me, Aria. It has been my worst nightmare ever since. It still haunts me every time I close my eyes.”His gaze dropped to the mate mark. When he touched it gently, the mark glowed in response.I gasped as sensation overwhelmed me. It was not pain but something far deeper and more consuming. Every nerve in my body came alive at once.“Do you feel it?” Lyrian asked, his voice dropping to a low growl that vibrated through my chest. “The bond. The pull. The way your soul calls to mine.”Before I could answer, a sudden disturbance ripped through the room.A pulse
Chapter twenty- eight ~~Aria pov ~~The King’s Hall was not what I expected.I had imagined something modern and cold, all glass and steel like the company building. Instead, the vehicle pulled up to a structure that looked like it had been standing for centuries. It was a massive estate built of gray stone, with towers that reached toward the sky and walls that spoke of both beauty and defensibility.It sat on the highest point in the city, surrounded by manicured grounds that probably covered acres. Iron gates emblazoned with silver wolves opened automatically as we approached, and I caught glimpses of guards stationed at regular intervals. Not just any guards, but elite warriors whose very stance radiated lethal capability.This was not just a residence. It was a fortress. I imagined how the main headquarters in the capital would look.It was said that each wolf city, just like Silvercrest, had such halls for the Alpha King, but the true headquarters stood in the capital city.The







