|| Alaric’s POV ||
Benson was still fighting, his movements strained but determined. I joined him, tearing through the rogues one by one until the forest was silent, the only sound the ragged breathing of those left standing. I shifted back to my human form, my chest heaving as I rushed to Lilac’s side. “Lilac,” I said, my voice trembling as I gathered her in my arms. Her forehead was bleeding, her hands and throat marred by claw marks. She wasn’t healing. I knew why— her wolf was dormant, leaving her vulnerable. The thought made my chest tighten with fear. “Dove, wake up,” I whispered, my voice shaking as I held her close. Her skin was cold, her breathing shallow. I brushed a strand of hair from her face, my heart aching at the sight of her so fragile, so broken. “Lilac,” her father said, his voice filled with panic as he knelt beside me. “Why isn’t she healing?” “We need to take her to a medic,” I said, my tone sharp with urgency. I didn’t have time to exp|| Lilac’s POV || The morning sunlight streamed through the windows, casting a warm glow over the living room. I sat on the couch, my legs tucked beneath me, a blanket draped over my shoulders. My body still ached from the attack, but the pain was dull now, a constant reminder of how close I’d come to losing everything. Ezra sat beside me, his usual goofy grin plastered across his face as he tried to wrestle the remote control from my hands. “Come on, it’s my turn! The game is on!” he argued, his voice rising in mock indignation. “Shut up, let me see the news,” I shot back, holding the remote out of his reach. I flipped through the channels, my fingers pausing as I caught a glimpse of my father on the screen. My heart skipped a beat. “What’s going on?” Mom asked, her voice tinged with concern as she stepped into the room, a tray of snacks in her hands. “I don’t know,” I murmured, my eyes glued to the television. I turned up the volume, my stomach churning as
|| Third Party POV || Benson drove straight to the palace, his hands gripping the steering wheel tightly. The roads were eerily quiet, the moon casting long shadows across the pavement. His mind raced with questions, but one thought kept repeating itself. What does Darius want? As he walked into the study of the Alpha King, he was taken aback. Darius wasn’t there. Instead, Cassandra sat in his chair, her sharp eyes gleaming with a predatory light. Kael stood by her side, his expression smug, while Coco lingered near the table, her presence like a shadow. “Hello, Benson,” Cassandra said, her voice smooth and dripping with false warmth. “Where’s Darius?” Benson asked, his tone clipped. Cassandra tilted her head, a sly smile playing on her lips. “Now, now, are we too eager to see him?” Benson’s jaw tightened. “What’s the meaning of all this?” “Take a seat, Ben,” Cassandra said, gesturing to the chair opposite the desk. “We were friends once, weren’t w
|| Lilac’s POV || The words sent a chill down my spine. “This is… the curse of the Nightshades,” I whispered. The goddess nodded, her expression grim. “Yes. This is the curse that plagues them to this day. No Alpha of the Nightshades has found their soulmate since. It was not I who cursed them, Lilac. It was Erebus who brought this doom upon himself.” The meadow returned, the vision fading like a dream. I sat there, my mind reeling, my heart heavy with the weight of what I had seen. “Why did you show me this?” I asked, my voice trembling. The goddess turned to me, her eyes filled with a mixture of hope and sorrow. “There are two reasons, Lilac. First, you are the one who will restore the fates of the Nightshades. And second, this is happening again. The werewolves are colluding with rogues and witches. If you do not act, the same doom will befall them all.” “Me? How can I restore their honor? No one even know them. And who is colluding with the wi
|| Lilac’s POV ||The meadow stretched endlessly before me, a sea of emerald green dotted with wildflowers that swayed gently in the breeze. The air was thick with the scent of damp earth and blooming lilacs, a strange comfort that wrapped around me like a warm blanket. In the distance, the sound of a cascading waterfall echoed, its rhythmic roar both soothing and haunting. My feet moved on their own, drawn to the water’s edge, where the mist kissed my skin and the sunlight refracted into a thousand tiny rainbows.And then I saw her.Runa.My wolf.She lay on a bed of soft moss, her golden-brown fur shimmering faintly under the sunlight. Her chest rose and fell in a slow, steady rhythm, as if she were in a deep, peaceful slumber. Her fur was slightly damp, glistening with droplets from the waterfall nearby. She looked better than the last time I had seen her— stronger, healthier— but she was still unconscious, her presence in my mind a hollow void
|| Alaric’s POV || Benson was still fighting, his movements strained but determined. I joined him, tearing through the rogues one by one until the forest was silent, the only sound the ragged breathing of those left standing. I shifted back to my human form, my chest heaving as I rushed to Lilac’s side. “Lilac,” I said, my voice trembling as I gathered her in my arms. Her forehead was bleeding, her hands and throat marred by claw marks. She wasn’t healing. I knew why— her wolf was dormant, leaving her vulnerable. The thought made my chest tighten with fear. “Dove, wake up,” I whispered, my voice shaking as I held her close. Her skin was cold, her breathing shallow. I brushed a strand of hair from her face, my heart aching at the sight of her so fragile, so broken. “Lilac,” her father said, his voice filled with panic as he knelt beside me. “Why isn’t she healing?” “We need to take her to a medic,” I said, my tone sharp with urgency. I didn’t have time to exp
|| Lilac’s POV || The world turned upside down as the car flipped, the sound of crunching metal and shattering glass filling the air. My head slammed against the window, pain exploding behind my eyes. The car skidded to a stop, smoke rising from the hood as the alarms blared. “Lilac!” my father’s voice cut through the chaos. He kicked open his door, his movements quick and precise as he climbed out of the wreckage. “Jump!” I fumbled with my seatbelt, my hands shaking as I tried to open the door. The car was on fire, the heat searing my skin as I struggled to crawl out. My vision blurred, my head throbbing as I finally tumbled onto the road. “Lilac, run!” my father yelled, his voice strained as he faced off against the rogues who had surrounded us. There were more than ten of them, their eyes glowing with malice as they closed in. I tried to stand, but my legs gave out beneath me. My wolf was silent, leaving me defenseless. I felt useless, helpless, as I watc
|| Lilac's POV || As we left the council room, I glanced back at Alaric one last time. He was standing with Marcus, his expression dark but determined. Our eyes met, and for a moment, I felt a surge of hope. We would get through this. Together. As we stepped out, reporters came to us, rushing. 'Mr Blackwood, have you seen the interview?' 'Mr. Blackwood, what are your thoughts?' 'Miss Blackwood, who's side are you now?' 'Miss Blackwood are you planning to forgive Kael?' 'Miss Blackwood, what is your relationship with Alaric?' "No comments," dad guided me away from the entire press. The car ride home was tense, the silence heavy with unspoken words. I sat in the backseat, my phone in hand as I scrolled through the headlines. Kael’s interview had gone viral, and the public was eating it up. The accusations against Alaric were spreading like wildfire, and the Alpha Council was under pressure to take action. “Alpha King’s Son Accuses Brot
|| Third-party POV || The dimly lit studio was a stage, and Kael was the lead actor in his own tragic play. The cameras rolled, capturing every tear, every trembling word, every carefully crafted lie. Alaric watched from the shadows of the council room, his sharp grey eyes fixed on the screen, his jaw clenched so tightly it felt like it might shatter. The accusations were ludicrous, a desperate attempt by Kael to salvage his crumbling reputation. But what infuriated Alaric the most was the way Kael had dragged Lilac into his web of lies. “This is absurd,” Alaric muttered under his breath, his voice low but laced with fury. His wolf growled in agreement, the sound reverberating in his chest. He could feel the weight of the room’s gaze on him, the whispers and sidelong glances as the alphas and lunas processed Kael’s words. The reporter on the screen leaned forward, her eyes filled with sympathy as she nodded along. “Thank you for sharing your story, Kael,” she sai
The room was silent, the weight of Kael’s words sinking in. But he wasn’t done. “It wasn’t the end of all. Coco was kidnapped. I still don’t know how that happened. Then she showed up at Alpha Asher’s pack. I was asked to keep quiet, as it was only the beginning. I was set up again— my naked photos went viral. I was forced to deny my connection with Coco to protect her. My alpha instincts, you could say. And finally, last night, I discovered who was behind all these schemes.”The reporter leaned forward, her eyes wide. “Who was it?”“Alaric,” Kael said, his voice firm. “He was standing in the shadows all this time, trying to destroy my name. He used our father’s influence to get away with it. Coco was captured by that monster, tortured as well. She’s so terrified that she can’t even stand before me without shivering.”My heart sank. No, this couldn’t be true. Alaric would never torture anyone. And that wasn’t all— Kael was accusing the Alpha King himself.