The sound of shattering porcelain echoed through the Alpha’s residence like a war cry. The ornate vase lay in pieces at Alpha Juno’s feet. His chest heaved as he read news that had just arrived from the Phantom Moon pack.“How?” he hissed, voice trembling with fury. “How the hell did they survive again?”Just moments ago, Rome had been standing in this pack. And now the report claimed he had already reached Phantom Moon and led a successful counterattack?His lips curled. Impossible. The pack was supposed to be vulnerable. Half their army had been drawn away. Five hundred rogue soldiers ruthless, bloodthirsty, and born to kill, had been deployed in secret. And now… they were all dead. Every single one of them.Juno paced the room like a caged beast, his mind reeling.What sort of monsters guarded that cursed territory? What kind of warriors could decimate an army of five hundred rogues?No one knew he had orchestrated the attack. Not even Alpha of DarkMoon who was his own ally. This h
Scarlet's POV“Is everyone fine?” I asked softly as Dante stepped out of the room. The pale hues of dawn had just begun to color the horizon, and it was clear he had not slept a single moment through the night. His voice had filled the corridors for hours, calm but clipped while issuing commands over the phone in a manner that made it impossible for me to rest.Dante offered a nod, his expression unreadable. “There was not much danger. No casualties. Some property was damaged and burned, but we did not lose anyone.”A wave of relief passed over me, unexpected but undeniable.“Property loss is something we can recover from,” I responded instinctively, “but losing people… that leaves wounds time cannot always heal.”He studied me for a moment, as though there was something he wanted to say but chose not to. Eventually, he spoke again. “Vespara should be arriving shortly. She must be exhausted after the attack. Make sure she gets some sleep.”He said it so naturally, as if it were the mo
Scarlet's POVI had no choice but to attend the negotiations. And what I discovered there... shattered me. I was to be exchanged. Traded like some political pawn if, and only if, the two Alphas managed to fulfil Alpha Dante’s increasingly outrageous demands.What began as a straightforward agreement quickly spiralled into a convoluted web of power plays. Alpha Dante’s demands grew more absurd with every passing hour. Initially, Alpha Edward had been attempting to mediate, even helping Alpha Juno push back against Dante’s propositions. But it seemed that Alpha Edward found out that it was Juno and his faction who orchestrated the attack on Phantom Moon last night. He was older and had seen such tricks all his life. As if that hadn’t complicated matters enough, Dante’s list of demands now included: a massive swath of territory, financial compensation for “damages,” and—of course—Hector. And just when we thought he was done, he threw in tariff-free trade across borders as if it were som
Scarlet's POV“This can’t be true! This can’t be true!” Vespara’s voice cracked as she stumbled back a step. “I can’t be pregnant!”She was panicking.I reached for her, wrapping my arms around her trembling body. “Calm down. Hey. Hey, it’s okay. It’s fine. I’m right here. You’re going to be okay.”Never in my life did I think I would see someone like Vespara who was always so fierce, so strong fall apart like this. But here she was, completely cracking. She looked terrified, like her entire world had just crumbled. What kind of weight did this pregnancy carry for her? Why was it shaking her so deeply?She clutched the counter for support. “How can I be pregnant?” she whispered again, and then her strength gave way. Her shoulders began to shake as tears streamed down her cheeks. She broke down, sobbing.I hugged her tighter. “Vespara… It’s okay. You don’t have to do this alone. If you’re not ready to be a mom, there are always other options. You can—”“No!” she cried, shaking her head
Scarlet's POVWhen we reached the room, Vespara sat silently on the corner of the bed, her back slightly hunched, her gaze lost somewhere in the space between the wall and the window. I watched her for a while, then finally asked, gently, “Do you want to talk about it?”She let out a breath, not quite a sigh, just air escaping from the cracks in her carefully guarded shell. “I don’t know,” she said. “What will I even say? What decision can I possibly make?” Her fingers tightened around the blanket beneath her.“If I keep the baby, my whole life turns upside down,” she whispered. “I will never become Beta. Rome will use it against me, call me weak, unfit, emotional. I will lose before I ever get the chance to fight. But if I don’t keep it—” her voice broke for a second, “—if I give up the baby for my future… how do I look at myself in the mirror after that? This baby is the only part of him I have left. The last piece of Killian. The last blood of Elizabeth. What do I do, Scarlet?”Her
It was dinner time. Vespara didn’t want to go downstairs. Her face was pale and her shoulders curled inwards as if she was trying to disappear into herself. I didn’t ask why because her silence was answer enough. So, I offered to bring food up for both of us.She had confided in me. She had cried in my arms, shaken with fear, rage, and heartbreak. No one had ever trusted me like that before. And even if I didn’t understand everything she was carrying, I wanted to protect her in the only way I could. She became a friend to me in this time. She did not held back anything between us. Since we were already sharing secrets, she turned to me and asked softly, “Can I ask you something?”I had no idea what was coming, but I nodded anyway.Then came her question and for a moment, I forgot to breathe. “Did you come to the Alpha’s Ball?”I looked at her, stunned. There was no reason to lie. What difference would it make now?I nodded.Her eyes widened, and then she broke into a wide grin. “
I stared at her, my throat dry. “And what if I don’t want to?”She smiled and it was worse than a threat. It was a promise.“You will return to the pack sooner or later. And when you do, you know exactly what awaits you.”Alyssa leaned in, her voice now a slow venomous drip.“Juno—no, Hector—he will punish you in ways you can’t even imagine. He will break you, Scarlet. You will be his wife, his property, his soulmate. Every breath will belong to him. And no one will stop it.”I felt something inside me crumble, just a little.“Kill Dante.” Her words sliced through the air. “Tonight. Or tomorrow, Alpha will accept Dante’s offer and hand you back. You will be dragged back in chains, Scarlet. Your silence will not save you. And your screams—” she smirked, “—they will be just the beginning.”I shivered. Not from the cold, but from the familiar darkness I thought I had escaped.“You think you can run?” Alyssa's voice slithered out like venom. “Even if you escape this pack, even if you fle
When I returned to the room, my breath was shallow and ragged, like I had been running for my life. In some ways, I had.Vespara looked up from the corner of the bed where she sat wrapped in silence, her eyes narrowing as soon as she saw me. “Are you okay?” she asked, her voice laced with concern.I smiled.But it wasn’t the kind of smile one gives to reassure. It was the kind born of secrets, of plans stitched together in shadows. I had clarity now. I had a purpose. The destruction of the Moonlord pack wasn’t just revenge anymore, it was freedom. Solace. A beginning.I stepped closer. My voice dropped, quiet but steady. “Do you want to solidify your position as Beta?”She blinked, confused, frowning as if unsure she’d heard me right. “What?”I sat beside her, leaned in just enough for her to listen what I am going to say. If there are stronger wolves around us, they may listen to us. Dammit. I wish I could have a mind link right now. “On the outskirts of the Moonlord territory,” I
“Alpha,” Elizabeth said softly, careful not to wake the child. “Let me put her to bed. If she wakes up now and doesn’t see you, she’ll cry, and it’s hard to watch her cry. She doesn’t make a sound, but… it breaks you.”Annette, who had been quiet again, suddenly asked, “Aunt… she doesn’t speak?”Elizabeth nodded, her eyes growing moist. During her birth, there was an accident. It damaged her throat, especially the vocal cords. We’re trying everything we can… but so far, there’s been no sound. Not even a whisper.”She paused, her voice trembling.“I pray to the goddess every night that before I die, I will hear her say something or anything. It hurts. It hurts to see her frustrated, unable to express herself. When she cries, there’s no sound. It’s like watching a scream locked inside a glass box.”A single tear escaped her. “Maybe we have coddled her too much. But tell me, how are we supposed to act normal with her when she’s not? Doesn’t she deserve a little extra love for trying, eve
Dante’s POV“You’re so handsome,” Nora suddenly said, smiling brightly. “Just like my daddy.”I smirked. “Less or more?”She tilted her head, thoughtful, then said with dramatic flair, “Just a little less.”We all burst into laughter at that, Annette, Elizabeth, even me.“She’s so cute,” Annette said, nearly pinching Nora’s cheek. “Are your siblings as adorable as you?”Nora huffed. “Auggie is a meanie, and Amy is a devil.”Before I could even react, a small blur flew at us like a gust of wind. Another toddler, clearly Amy, shoved Nora aside and latched tightly onto my legs.“Amy!” Elizabeth gasped. The little one didn’t respond. Her brows were scrunched, her lips trembling, like she was about to burst into tears.Elizabeth’s voice turned soft. “Sweetheart, come to Grandma. Let Alpha go, okay?”But Amy only clung tighter, her tiny fingers gripping my trousers like I was her anchor in a storm.“It’s okay, Madam,” I said gently. “We have met before. That’s why they know me.”Elizabeth l
Dante’s POVA moment passed before the boy, Auggie, answered from above with a loud, cheeky voice, “Don’t want to!”Elizabeth chuckled, not even surprised. “He is just like his father.”I arched a brow. “Stubborn?”She gave a tired laugh. “Imagine the stubbornness of Killian and Vespara combined.”I winced playfully. “Ah… that’s a lethal combo. Is he lazy like Kill, too?”“Oh, no,” she said with an amused grin. “That would be our Nora, the lazy princess.”Just then, a new voice called out from above, “Did somebody call me?”I looked up and saw a girl peeking over the railing on the second floor. She was familiar somehow, but I couldn’t quite place how and suddenly everything clicked. Her eyes widened the moment she saw me, curious, startled, intrigued.aShe leaned over the railing to get a better look, and before I could process what was happening, she slipped.“No!” Annette gasped in horror.Even Elizabeth’s breath hitched. My body tensed, already ready to lunge forward but before I
Dante’s POVI asked Annette this morning if she would like to accompany me to visit Elizabeth. It had been two days since Vespara left the temple without looking at me, and something in me kept wondering if she had returned by now. She never stayed here for too long.We reached Elizabeth’s home just before lunch, and the moment we stepped inside, I could feel a shift in the atmosphere. It wasn’t the usual serene and quiet space I had come to associate with the house. Instead, it felt alive, busy, scattered, as if the home itself had awakened from slumber. I saw Elizabeth sitting alone on the couch in the living room, watching some cartoon on low volume. She turned the moment she sensed us and smiled. “Alpha… Luna,” she greeted us warmly. “You should have sent a message. I would have arranged a proper lunch.”I smiled back at her while taking in her face, the fine lines, the wisdom in her gaze and the stubborn light that never dimmed. “How are you? We heard you were unwell.”“I’m fin
Scarlet’s POVThe moment I switched on the local news channel, I reached for my phone and dialled Vespara. I had just finished a long, exhausting class on surgical techniques and returned to my office to catch up on the headlines. What I saw made my stomach twist with worry — two rogue groups had entered the capital and launched an attack. A city-wide curfew had been imposed. Streets were shut down, homes locked up, and the atmosphere on the news was pure chaos.I quickly realized that I wouldn’t be able to leave the institute tonight. Travelling now was far too dangerous. The roads were not just unsafe, they were being hunted.My fingers trembled slightly as I pressed the call button. When Vespara picked up, I didn’t waste a second.“Ves, did you leave?” I asked, panic rising in my voice.“We’re just about to,” she replied gently. “Don’t worry, Amy was an angel today. She didn’t miss you that much.”Her calm voice gave me a small moment of relief, but it wasn’t enough. I had to stop
Dante’s POV“What kind of teachings did your family pass on to their children?” I asked coldly as Rome entered the office.Rome looked caught off guard. He had never seen me this furious.“What happened, Alpha?” he asked, approaching carefully.“That nephew of yours…” I said. “He was bullying kids half his age. In the temple, no less. And all while his mother stood there watching.”Rome’s shoulders sagged. “I apologise… I’ll talk to my brother. Though honestly, it’s my sister-in-law and mother who have spoiled that boy beyond reason. He has never been corrected, never taught humility.” He let out a sigh. “But since the complaint is coming from you, Alpha, our family will take it seriously.”Then he added with a weak smile, “But since when did you start caring about children and their petty squabbles?”Before I could respond, a melodic laugh drifted into the room. A graceful presence followed as Annette, my Luna, entered and gracefully seated herself beside me.“That’s Alpha Dante you
Dante's POVI turned to the boy and said, voice sharp and firm, “Stop. Is this how you behave? Bullying little girls at the temple?”The boy shrank under my gaze, but before he could say anything, his mother arrived, rushed, breathless, and clearly having been nearby all along.“Alpha, please… he is just a child,” she pleaded, trying to shield him.I was angry no, furious. “Look at your child. He is picking on kids much younger than himself. Don’t let him out of the house again until you have disciplined him properly. Otherwise, his elders will answer for it.”The woman paled and quickly dragged her son away without another word.With them gone, I looked at the girls. The older one stood beside me, while the little one remained nestled in my arms, clutching me tightly.“Thank you, kind sir,” the older girl said, flashing a shy smile.She looked familiar, oddly so. I couldn’t place where I had seen her before.“You are very brave,” I said, impressed by how she had stood up for herself
Dante’s POV“About the upgradation project, make sure the preparations are wrapped up sooner,” I said to the construction manager, eyeing the layout spread across the stone table.We were expanding and reinforcing the infrastructure around the Moon Goddess’ temple which was now more of a landmark than it had ever been before. Over the years, it had become a center of pilgrimage and tourism, drawing attention not only from our own pack but from others far across the empire. With the coming full moon, we expected nearly a hundred thousand pilgrims to gather here. That number would only grow with time. If we wanted to maintain order and respect the sanctity of the temple, we had to prepare accordingly.In the last four years, our pack had thrived, territory expanded, borders strengthened, wealth accumulated. Under the favor of the Werewolf King, our lands had become the crown jewel of the empire. The most prosperous, the most stable, and arguably, the most envied.The discussion was done
Scarlet’s POVToday was Killian’s death anniversary.Vespara and the kids were leaving for Phantom Moon, and my heart was lodged firmly in my throat. I shouldn’t have felt this way, my home was here, with my daughter, with Vespara, in the life we had built together. But somehow, a piece of me felt homesick as if watching them leave was like watching them walk away from me and that to to the place that is my home.“Did you pack everything?” I asked softly as I entered the living room.It was still dark outside, the sky tinted with the faintest grey. Vespara was already dressed and moving with her usual quiet efficiency. I knew she hadn’t slept. Not a wink. She never did the night before going back to that place.She glanced up, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear. “I did. Why are you up so early?”I shifted Amy on my shoulder. She was still half-asleep, warm and limp in my arms, her curly hair sticking up in all directions. Her eyes fluttered at the sound of Vespara’s voice.“Morn