เข้าสู่ระบบNORA’S POV
I was stunned to my bones, too stunned to move. I gaped as the drama unfolded around me. My heart bled like someone was ripping it out of its cage.
For a few minutes, I couldn’t wrap my head around what was happening. The world was spinning around me, and everyone seemed to be okay.
I was rejected in the same second, my best friend was pronounced the new Luna of Riverstone pack.
A lump gathered around my throat. “Celeste…”
Her signature gentle expression wore off. She rested one hand against her waist, and the other on her lower abdomen. “What do you think?” She began. “That, I’ll leave my man for you, because of some mate bond?”
“We’re best friends,”
Celeste snickered. Her calm demeanor rolling off. “Best friends don’t take what belongs to their best friend,” She spat. “Nora, you’ve always been a bad choice for Aiden, and I’m glad he realized it pretty fast,” she giggled, wrapped her hands around Aiden’s neck, and pulled him into a deep kiss.
Aiden smiled sheepishly, like a teenager in love. I was his wife, and fated mate, and the closest I’d seen him smile was a devious smirk, right before he did wicked things to me.
He was tossing me out, like a cheap distraction. Like I never mattered. Like the fated bond we shared was an illusion.
Celeste scrunched her nose. “Guess what, we’re having a baby!” She squealed.
The crowd erupted in cheers. Everyone rushed to them, almost knocking me over me. I watched with blurred vision as they congratulated the new couple.
Broken. Scared. Rejected. Betrayed. Weak.
All in a split second. My heart felt like it was getting ripped out of my ribcage. I spun around on my feet, with what was left of my strength, and started making my way out of the hall.
“Nora!” Aiden cried.
I stopped in my tracks, but didn’t turn to face him. I couldn’t let him see how broken I was. “One last thing, before you move to the maids quarters,” he said. “Sign this.”
“Don’t let us argue because of a mere signature,” Beta Austin snarled. He handed me a pen, and held out the file to my face.
Another round of heartbreak spread like poison through my blood, as my eyes scanned the content of the document.
DIVORCE PROCEEDINGS.
On the same day he’d rejected our bond. The pen trembled violently, as I scribbled my signature onto the paper. My tears dropped on it, earning me a low growl from Aiden.
“One more thing Nora, you have to move to the room down the hallway on Alpha Aiden’s floor,” Celeste began, “You cannot imagine how stressful it is to be pregnant with an Alpha pup. I need all the help I can get.” she added with a strained sigh.
Doris snickered. “She’s good for nothing,” she said, and quickly added. “You heard your Luna. She needs the help of an Omega, and you’re the perfect fit.” her tone was demeaning.
I simply turned, dragged my heavy legs towards the exit. My body numb, from the shock it’d been put through. For years, I’d endured the pain, and humiliation of a wolfless Orphan, in the same pack that once doted on me.
Enough!
I wasn’t going to stay back, and watch these traitors walk over me. I wiped the tears off my eyes, and made my way straight to Aiden’s suite.
I looked around the room, memories of Aiden etched like a nightmare in my brain. This was the room he made me a woman. He was going to share it with someone else.
I ran my hand over the king sized bed we shared every other night.
The sex had been rough, heck! A punishment to me. He relished in subduing me, even though I succumbed easily to his wolf.
Aiden derived pleasure in breaking me shred by shred. I was done this time. I was done lurking around a pack that avoided me like a plague. I turned my head sideways, staring at my reflection in the full-length mirror.
I ran my hands over my scar. It was ugly, but it didn’t take away my person. Who I truly was. Aiden might’ve dropped me like I was trash, to him I was.
It didn’t matter anymore. He made his choice.
I let out a laugh— a soft sound filled my empty heart. I ran my hands over the scar on my face, and my heart sank. I wasn’t going to stick around, and take in the disgrace.
I was done being hopeless. It was time to take powers into my hands. I shoved a few clothes into my bag.
“Goodbye ex-husband,” I said out loud even though I was the only one in the room.
“And where do you think you’re going?” Aiden’s steely voice entered my ears. I stopped in my tracks, clutching my hands tight against the strap of my bag.
Deafening silence stretched the air between us.
I had a thousand things to say. More than anything, I wanted to curl my hands into a fist, and hit him so hard until he bled out.
‘Pleaseee. You’re too weak to stand up to an Alpha,’ ’ a voice echoed in my head.
Alpha Aiden Reynolds rounded me, and stood in front of me. His face contorted in amusement. “Aha! It seemed the caged bird finally decided to spread her wings.”
A vein pulsated in my neck. Instead of fear, and my lungs fighting for oxygen, anger spread like venom in my bloodstream.
Aiden Reynolds reached for my hair, and tugged at it. I pushed his hands away. His face was pale red, it was obvious he was still suffering from the bond that had snapped dead.
He groaned, “Nora, if you walk out of the borders of the pack tonight, you know what that means,” he growled. “If no pack takes you in before the next full moon, which I’m pretty sure of…” his voice trailed off.
My breath hitched. “I become a rogue.”
A flicker of shock touched his eyes, and died an instant death. “Nora, you won’t survive that, and you know it. No pack will take a subdued in.”
I locked contact with him, my eyes and a quality mix of pain, regret, and resignation. “Let that be my hell to burn in.” sidestepped him, and walked straight to the borders of Riverstone pack.
Every memory of my childhood, and the love I thought I would live, faded away with each step I took. The warriors that manned the borders looked at me with scorn.
The moonlight casted shadows against the warriors faces, obscuring half their faces. “She’s not gonna last for long, before she comes running back.” one said amidst laughter.
“We’ll pick her body up, and bury her ruins beside her parents.” another jeered.
I pressed my lips together. “I’ll be back…” I held my breath. I stepped past the borders of the Riverstone pack.
I was going to rewrite my fate, this time Aiden Reynolds and the entire Riverstone would collapse on their knees.
NORATires crunched loudly over the fresh snow as the SUV pulled through the main gates of the estate.Staring down at the silver pistol resting in my lap, the metal felt heavy and freezing against my skin. My finger traced the trigger guard slowly. Thirty minutes ago, I fully intended to walk straight into the east wing and put a bullet directly into Liam’s chest. He absolutely earned it. Hiring mercenaries to slaughter my two-year-old sons crossed a line that demanded blood.However, the blinding rage slowly started to cool.Killing Liam would be incredibly easy. Dealing with the fallout would destroy everything. Alpha Silas took me in when I was nothing. He gave me a home, a name, and absolute protection. If I murdered his only biological son, it would completely break the old man’s heart. I couldn't repay his kindness by putting him in a grave of grief.There was a much better way to handle a traitor. Death was quick. Stripping a proud, power-hungry Lycan of his rank and wealth wa
NORA"We'll see about that." Maddox smirked, picking up his glass. "Your brother seemed very eager to make this union happen. He basically begged me to take you off his hands.""Liam is stressed," I lied smoothly, keeping my face blank. "He thinks your army can protect us from the northern packs.""My army?" Maddox laughed out loud. It was a harsh, grating sound. "Is that what he told you? He said he needed my soldiers?""Yes.""Wow. Liam really is a coward." Maddox shook his head, looking highly amused. "He didn't come to me for soldiers, Nora. He came to me for silence."My heart skipped a painful beat."Silence about what?" I asked, keeping my voice dangerously low.Maddox leaned forward. His dark eyes glittered with malicious, arrogant triumph."Those mercenaries who ambushed you last week," Maddox whispered. "The ones who nearly killed you and your pups in the warehouse. You thought Alpha Vance hired them, didn't you?""Intelligence confirmed Vance signed the contract.""Vance pr
NORA’S POVMy desk phone buzzed sharply, shattering the quiet of my office.Snatching the receiver, Liam’s voice barked through the line. He demanded I come to his study immediately. He sounded frantic, breathless, and angry. Before I could even ask what was wrong, the line clicked dead.I dropped the phone back into its cradle. A bad feeling twisted my stomach. Liam and I hadn't spoken properly in days. Ever since the bloody badge showed up on my desk, my adopted brother had become a paranoid, hostile stranger.Stepping out into the hallway, my heels sank into the thick carpet of the east wing. Guards nodded respectfully as I passed. Reaching his heavy oak door, I pushed it open without bothering to knock.Inside, Liam paced near the window. A half-empty bottle of whiskey sat on his desk. It was barely noon."You look like hell," I noted, closing the door behind me."Sit down, Nora." He refused to look at me, keeping his eyes fixed on the snowy courtyard outside."I have a trade meet
NORA"Wife?" A sharp, mocking laugh slipped past my lips. My glass of bourbon stayed perfectly level in my hand. "You really are delusional, Alpha. My father warned me the northern kings suffered from unchecked arrogance. Now I see it firsthand."Kai’s jaw tightened. His golden eyes burned into mine, searching for the terrified girl he used to know. "Stop lying, Nora.""Address me as Heiress," I corrected smoothly, dropping the smile. "And if you want to cause a diplomatic incident in front of the entire continental council, be my guest. Grab me. Drag me out. Let us see how the fifty Alphas in this room react when you violate a neutral summit to kidnap the daughter of Moon Creek."Halil grabbed his brother’s shoulder, his grip desperate. "Kai. Look around."Dozens of elite guards from various territories had already stopped talking. Hands hovered near holstered weapons. A single aggressive move from Kai would trigger a massive bloodbath right in the middle of the rotunda."You think a
NORA’S POVGolden chandeliers cast a harsh, bright light across the Obsidian Peak rotunda.This was the Continental Council, a brutal political arena disguised as a high-society gala. Only packs with serious leverage held seats at the central mahogany table. Deals made in this room dictated the survival of thousands.Sitting near the front, Kai and Halil looked like absolute royalty. Getting their spots was effortless. Every Alpha in the room desperately sought an alliance with the Blackcrest Kings this winter. Kai sat rigidly in his dark suit, his jaw clenched, his amber eyes scanning every corner of the room. He was hunting.He just didn't realize his prey was currently standing on the upper balcony, holding a crystal glass of sparkling water.Leaning against the brass railing, my gaze bypassed the twins and landed on a much smaller, far more pathetic target.Aiden.Standing near the bar, he wore a gray suit that didn't fit his shoulders right. He looked incredibly proud of himself,
THIRD PERSON’S POV Dead silence fell over the council room.Chloe covered her ears, taking a terrified step backward.Standing frozen near the table, Halil stared at the blank tablet. His jaw hung slightly open.Deep inside the dark, hollow cavern of Kai’s chest, something violently twitched. The rotting corpse of his inner wolf, the beast that hadn't made a single sound in two entire years, suddenly gasped for air."What the hell was that?" Chloe whispered, her voice shaking badly. "That sounded like a monster.""Gideon," Kai spoke, his voice dropping into a ragged, breathless rasp. "Who made that sound?""According to our asset," Gideon swallowed hard, clearly struggling to comprehend his own report. "The Moon Creek Heiress had her children with her in the warehouse. Two toddlers. The mercenaries pointed their rifles at them. The children... they roared, Alpha.""That is biologically impossible," Halil stated immediately, shaking his head. He looked at Kai, his golden eyes wide wit
NORA’S POV. I groaned, struggling to pry my eyes open. “Our Luna decided to grace us with her consciousness.” A stern voice cut across the room. I made to sit up, but all my bones felt like they were crushed under the weight of a boulder. My eyes lingered around the room. It wasn’t like my room i
AIDEN’S POV I did the right thing. I was sure of it. Nora was no good. She couldn’t even bear me a pup, not even a female. Her body was frail, and clearly cannot carry my seed. I tightened my grip around my pen, as I scribbled some words onto the document, my heart in a completely different place
KAI’S POV You’ve got to be kidding me. A stray. A fucking stray that had tinges of rejection all over her. To make it worse, she was wolfless. My eyes hovered all over her, and my heart boiled with a mixture of disgust. Why on earth would the moon goddess think she could link us to a stray as a s
HALIL’S POV I clenched my hand around the edge of the Ebony table, as surges of electric current splintered through my chest. Fucking hell! A devilish smirk lined the corner of my lips. “This might just be our chance at easing the grief.” I spat. Kai grunted, and didn’t say a word. My Gamma Chi







