로그인Xenia's POV
"Since when did you get protective?" Chole asked in disbelief and I groaned, shutting her out.
We will do a reunion later. I clenched my hands into fists, watching Griffin give her a peck on the forehead, before moving forward.
How dare that bastard?
Was he two-timing now?
I couldn't watch the match anymore, so I got up and made my way to the boys' locker room to wait for him.
I deserved some sort of explanation. I was about to sit on the bench when;
"Hello there." I heard a sweet, tiny voice behind me and turned to see the girl from earlier, who was clinging to Griffin.
Anger brewed in me but I calmed myself down and threw her a fake smile.
"Hi, who are you?" I asked straight up, tapping my foot on the floor. In the past, I have never seen Griffin with any girl.
Yes, he was a playboy, who chases anything in a skirt around, but he never gave them the same look he gave this girl in the field.
Neither did he allow them to wear his jacket. That showed that he cared about this person, so who was she and why was I getting so agitated?
"Griffin's girlfriend." She smirked, and I felt like I had been shot with a bullet.
Griffin's what now?
I burst into laughter right away, surprising the girl who furrowed her eyebrows at me in confusion. She was probably thinking that I had lost it, due to the way I was cackling like crazy.
"What's funny?" She questioned, and I placed my hand on my stomach, trying to hold back another laugh.
I would have believed her if she said she was a sister, cousin, or something else, but a girlfriend?
Oh please! Griffin wouldn't dare. He continuously tried to tear Donald and me apart previously, and I wish I had allowed him.
I wouldn't die like a pathetic nerd. Speaking of nerd, that reminded me. I had to change the way I dressed and acted.
"Hello?" The girl snapped her finger in my face and I came back to reality.
"Sorry. Did you say girlfriend? Griffin would never...." I didn't complete my sentence, she should be wide enough to figure it out.
"Don't talk as if you know him. You are just a nobody who is after him, I am sure." The girl insulted, rising her chin as she folded her arms across her chest.
I scoffed.
Some people are really asking for it, aren't they?
"I should be telling that to you, girl, I am his fiancée," I told her, showing her the ring on my finger, and all the colors drained out of her face.
"Impossible." She shrieked and I chuckled.
As I thought, she was just some rude bimbo who was throwing herself at him. But why the hell did she get to wear his jacket and I don't?
Though unbelievable. I was now his mate.
"What is going on here?" I heard Griffin's voice and stiffened, my heart skipping a beat as I watched him walk towards her, a helmet in his hand.
He was sweating vigorously, his T-shirt soaked. I should feel irritated, but rather, I found him hot and bit my lower lip hard.
"Are you engaged?" The girl asked him, and Griffin froze before turning to glare at me.
Wait! Did he just glare at me? I felt shivers running down my spine.
"No Lilith, it's arranged." He leaned in to peck her forehead again.
I saw red and stormed over to them.
"What is going on here?" I gritted my teeth against one another and the girl ran into Griffin's arms, burying her head into his chest.
Griffin took in a deep breath, shaking his head sideways before turning around to leave while I stood there, dumbfounded.
Was I dreaming? Why would Griffin ignore me?
My legs wobbled and I collapsed to the floor, my heart tightening in pain.
I thought he was different. How could I have forgotten he was a Playboy and a bigger doucebag than Donald?
But wait! This girl surely wasn't his usual fling. The way he acted towards her and even treated me like I was nothing.
I remember in the past, he ignored many of his flings for me even though I was the one ignoring him. He didn't care but now?
Is the future changing?
Sitting there for minutes, I finally decided to stand up and go home, but before, I branched out at the mall to get some new clothes for myself.
I spent hours choosing and even went to the salon for a makeover, cutting my long hair into waves, curling the tips.
I went home afterwards, still thinking about Griffin and what I had done to deserve all of these from him.
Should I go check up on him at home?
Nope. That would make me desperate, I mean since when did I start caring about him?
I hated him.
I was about to climb the stairs when I saw Xenia coming down like some grand Queen. I scoffed and walked past, ignoring her existence when;
"How was school today? Did I miss anything fun?" She questioned and I could hear her trying to hold back laughter.
I didn't pay much attention to it.
"Perhaps you should stop skipping classes to know the answer to that." I smiled and she shrugged.
"I heard that Lilith is back. How are you going to cope with Griffin now?" Xenia questioned and I froze in my steps.
Lilith? Wasn't that what Griffin called that girl?
Who was she and how come Xenia knew about her?
"Aww. Darling, are you too stunned to speak? Don't you know?" Xenia mocked but I didn't care.
"Know what?" I scowled and she laughed, taking a sip out of the wine cup that I didn't even notice was in her hand.
Just then, the door opened and Dad walked in, frowning at me.
"What did you do, Lena?" He yelled and I looked at him in confusion.
"Griffin's dad just called. Griffin is calling off the engagement."
Lena’s POVI never thought quiet would feel so heavy.I stand at the edge of the clearing, Griffin beside me. The sun is low, spilling gold across the trees. No council. No packs. No watchers. Just us.I take a deep breath. I can feel my mark under my skin. Not burning. Not sharp. Just calm, steady, like it’s finally breathing with me instead of against me.Griffin glances at me, quiet. “You okay?”I nod slowly. “Yeah. I think I am.”He smiles, small. Not teasing. Not loud. Just… there. Comfortable.I let my gaze drift to the horizon. Everything we went through. All the fighting, the whispers, the fear. It’s behind us now. Or maybe… it’s just different. Lighter. Clearer.“You’ve changed,” Griffin says.I tilt my head. “We’ve all changed. It wasn’t just me. You… you never really wavered.”“Someone has to keep it steady,” he says. “Otherwise…” He shakes his head. “We’d still be fighting shadows.”I smile faintly. “And now?”“Now,” he says, “we see the moon. Same moon. Just… different li
Ryker’s POV I’ve never liked big ceremonies. Too much fluff. Too much noise. Too many people pretending to matter.But today, I’m standing in what used to be the council hall, and the air is quieter than I expected. Not tense. Not scared. Just… expectant.Griffin’s gone off to oversee some other changes. Lena is nearby, talking quietly with a few elders. I don’t need to hover. Not today.I’ve got a stack of Keeper records in my hands, folders, tablets, scrolls—whatever anyone ever thought could hide the truth. Today, nothing hides.I glance at Corvin and Tamsin. Their faces are stiff. They were part of the old guard, the old rules, and they don’t know what to do with themselves now.“Ryker,” Tamsin says, voice tight. “Are you sure opening everything is—”“Necessary,” I cut in. “Yes. Otherwise, what’s the point of change?”Corvin shakes his head. “You can’t just throw centuries of procedure aside.”I step closer to the table. “I’m not throwing it aside. I’m correcting it. The records
Lilith’s POV I didn’t hear him come in. One moment I was staring at the wall, trying not to think, and the next, Griffin’s voice cut through the silence.“Lilith.”I jumped. My heart was already pounding, but hearing his voice made it worse.“I… I didn’t hear you.” I swallowed hard.He didn’t answer right away. Just stepped closer, hands behind his back. Calm. Too calm. The kind of calm that makes your stomach twist.“I need you to look at this.” He set a small tablet on the table. A screen lit up. Names. Dates. Spells. My own handwriting. My own stupid, desperate marks.I blinked. “W-what is this?” My voice sounded smaller than I expected.“You know what it is,” he said quietly. His eyes weren’t angry. They were… steady. Piercing.“I… I didn’t mean—” I started, then stopped. What was there to mean? I had tried. And I had failed.“You didn’t mean,” he repeated, his voice soft but firm. “You thought you were helping. But it’s all here. Every spell, every word, every step you took. You
Xenia’s POVThe room feels smaller when no one is standing on your side.I notice it the moment I walk into the council antechamber. Same stone walls. Same long table. Same faces I’ve known for years. Elders. Pack leaders. People who used to nod at me, smile at me, lean in when I spoke.Now?They don’t look at me at all.I straighten my shoulders anyway. Habit. Pride. Maybe denial.“Shall we begin?” I ask lightly, like this is just another meeting.No one answers.Elder Maelor clears his throat. “You may sit.”May.That word stings more than I expect. I take the seat anyway, crossing my legs slowly, refusing to rush. If this is going to be a performance, I’ll control my part.I glance around. “I was told this was urgent.”“It is,” Tamsin says. Her voice is careful. Distant. “Things have… shifted.”I smile. “They always do.”No one smiles back.My fingers curl against my knee. Fine. Let’s skip the warm-up.“So,” I say, tilting my head. “What’s the concern?”Corvin finally looks at me.
Griffin’s POVI’ve stood in front of packs before.The open grounds stretched wide beneath the sky, filled with wolves from every direction. Their scents layered the air: pine and iron, ash and rain, old bloodlines and unfamiliar ones. Neutral packs stood beside former rivals. Old allies watched from careful distances. Some faces I recognized instantly. Most I didn’t.They stood in loose rows, not arranged by rank or territory, watching quietly. Waiting.There was no council table. No raised platform. No structure meant to elevate anyone above the rest.Just earth beneath our feet, sky overhead, and the truth we’d all come to face.Lena stood beside me.Not behind me. Not half a step back in deference. Directly at my side, her shoulder aligned with mine. Her hand was in mine, warm and steady. I felt no tremor there, no hesitation.I leaned slightly toward her, lowering my voice. “You okay?”She nodded once, breath slow and even. “Yeah. I’m ready.”That answer told me more than any spe
Lena’s POVI used to think power would announce itself.That it would feel like noise—like heat rushing through my veins or thunder cracking open the sky. I thought it would make everything sharper, louder, impossible to ignore. I imagined people shrinking when I walked into a room, imagined myself standing taller just by existing.That’s not how it feels at all.It feels quiet.Too quiet, sometimes.I’m standing in the council hall again, but the room isn’t the same as it was before. There are no whispers following me, no half-hidden glances traded behind folded hands. No one is pretending this is routine or manageable.Everyone knows what happened.Ryker didn’t soften anything. He didn’t frame it gently or give anyone space to explain it away. He laid out the evidence piece by piece until there was nowhere left to hide. Xenia’s name doesn’t need to be spoken now. It lingers in the air but everyone seems afraid of it. She isn’t here.Neither is Donald.Lilith is.She stands near the







