NATE’S POV I watched as my lawyer poured me a glass of wine, a satisfied smile tugging at my lips. “I told you my plan would work,” I said as he settled back into his chair, smoothing down his tie with the same smug expression I wore. He nodded, lifting his own glass. “Worked like a charm, just as you envisioned.” “You’re brilliant, my love,” Isla chimed in from the corner of the office. “Everyone’s talking about it across the territory. No one else could’ve pulled that off.” I rose to my feet, exhaling deeply as I ran a hand over my already slicked-back hair. “What can I say?” I said with a scoff. “Everything I’ve been working toward was achieved in a single move. It was so easy to get it done too.” I turned. “You’ve heard what they’re saying about Edward, right?” I asked, glancing down at my lawyer. He nodded. “People are talking about how he’s abusing his power, how his jealousy is driving him crazy. And your ex-wife? They finally see how bitter she really is.
CLARA’S POV “Congratulations, Luna Clara,” Luna Patricia said, towering over me with a wide smile on her face. “Thank you,” I replied, smiling back as I reached up to take the gift she offered. I was still very sick, my head pounding. I shouldn’t have been out of bed yet, but this was something I had to do before the upcoming banquet, which was only a few days away. Edward had wanted to cancel everything, but I refused. I didn’t want anyone to question his place as Alpha or damage his reputation just because of a little gift rite that every Luna has successfully done. As Luna Patricia stepped away, another woman walked up, her face tight with a dry smile. “Congratulations, Luna,” she said, handing me a wrapped box. “Thank you,” I said again, rising slowly to take the gift. But the moment her eyes dropped to my stomach, her forced smile vanished. I accepted the gift without saying anything, pretending not to notice her reaction. Even during a celebration, there were
CLARA’S POV I sat beside Edward at the very front of the hall, shifting my weight uncomfortably in the chair. The dress I wore was stunning but heavy. The layers of fabric clung to my body, weighed down further by the glittering jewelry adorning my neck and wrists. From the corners of my eyes, I could feel the stares. Nearly every woman in the room had their gaze fixed on me. Some looked on in awe, others in admiration but a few with jealousy. Despite the nausea churning in my stomach, I held my head high. I refused to appear weak in front of them. Today was a significant day, the Fruitful Banquet. It was a celebration of new life, of prosperity, and so many had gathered in our honor, the hall packed to the brim. I adjusted the folds of my gown around my ankles, then reached up to smoothen my hair. I needed to look flawless, to silence the rumors before they had a chance to spread. Edward leaned in, his hand brushing my hair gently away from my ear. “Alpha Reynold and his
EDWARD’S POV Just as more emergency vehicles were pulling into the hospital wing of the Estate, I rushed in through the main entrance, feeling even more frustrated. I hurried into the wing, my eyes quickly catching the panic in the air. I looked around the hallways, filled with people groaning on both my left and right. Most of them were throwing up badly, dropping to their knees. It was complete chaos in here. I saw some doctors and nurses helping the poisoned victims who were too weak to move, guiding them into the wards. As I moved quickly through the hallways, I noticed almost every ward was packed full of sick people. This was horrible. What made it even more disturbing and upsetting was that most of the people vomiting so terribly were important figures in the territory—Alphas and Lunas of high ranks. I shook my head at the sight, my fingers curling into fists at my sides, wanting nothing more than to catch whoever was behind this. Even while I was worried ab
EDWARD’S POV By the time we left the kitchen, I was completely drainedmentally and physically. My thoughts kept circling back to the brown-haired suspect. Who was he? Why would he do this? Was it personal? Against me? Clara? No matter how I tried to piece it together, nothing made sense. I couldn’t think of his motive, his reason. I just had questions without answers. Jaxon had gone off immediately to search the Estate, determined to find the boy. That left me with a handful of guards escorting me to the hospital wing. We hadn’t gotten far when a strange sound reached my ears. It was faint and distant, sounding like chants. I slowed, listening carefully. At first, I thought it might just be in my head, some lingering stress playing tricks on me. But with every step I took, the chanting grew louder. It sounded like a group of angry people were yelling close to the Estate. I stopped completely, frowning. What the hell was that? I gestured for one of the guards to
CLARA’S POV I stood at the floor-to-ceiling window early in the morning, rubbing my stomach as I looked out over the estate. Most of the guests were already leaving especially those who’d recovered and I felt a faint feeling of relief watching them go. Very faint. These people likely carried resentment toward us now as they left. For something we hadn’t done and we didn’t even understand ourselves. They probably blamed us for everything that happened during the banquet, forgetting that we were also victims. Their outburst yesterday had really hurt me, considering how I wanted the banquet to be successful, how I looked forward to it as it was my first time. I was celebrating the baby in my womb but they forgot that part, they forgot that I was hurting too. A slow burn of anger rose in my chest. I clenched my fist, trying to push it down. It was pointless, getting worked up over what I couldn’t yet control. I turned slowly, my gaze settling on Edward at the far end of
EDWARD’S POV I stood at the floor-to-ceiling window of the meeting room, gazing outside to ease my mind. My fingers absently moved over my jaw as my mind churned despite my attempts to forget everything. In the faint reflection on the glass, I caught a glimpse of myself and paused. I looked like hell. I looked unkept, my eyes hollow. A sigh escaped my lips. I’d been neglecting my appearance, my health, everything. But how could I not? I felt restless day and night. Every damn minute, I was either pacing or spiraling. Nothing sat right anymore. This entire mess? whatever game was being played, I couldn’t get ahead of it. No matter how hard I tried, I always felt like I was several steps behind. At first, I thought it was just Nathaniel Bennett pulling strings. But now I was sure… someone else was involved. Someone smarter. Someone staying hidden, and easily manipulating things. Whether they were working with Nathaniel or acting alone, I still couldn’t tell. That uncerta
EDWARD’S POV I sat at the head of the table, my gaze sweeping across the faces of the Alphas gathered around the U-shaped table. Their expressions were tight with anger, distrust clearly visible in their faces as none of them tried to hide it. And I didn’t blame them. Not after what happened at the Fruitful Banquet. I hadn’t offered any explanation since that day. They were nearly killed on my territory. If the substance had been deadlier, we wouldn’t be sitting here. “What’s this meeting about?” one of them asked sharply, without waiting for permission. “Are we finally going to talk about the chaos you dragged us into?” I scoffed quietly, shaking my head. Why dance around the truth when they could just say it outright? I let my eyes slide toward Nathaniel, who sat in silence, arms crossed, unreadable as ever. His calm demeanor rubbed me the wrong way. And the fact that he even showed up surprised me. And irritated me. I tore my gaze away from him before the rage b
Edward’s POVI walked into the room where the man we’d captured was being kept and tortured, my eyes taking in his bloodied frame.Jack was the man that had tried to kill Clara and Lydia, and he has refused to spill the name(s) of who had sent him.No matter how much he’d been beaten and battered, he’d remained mute and only continued to plead incoherently.Immediately, my shadow fell on him in the single-window room, he lifted his head and saw me standing there, cowering back in fear and visibly trembling.I stared hard at him, my jaw set in a grim line.Why is he so scared if he isn’t willing to talk? What is he ao afraid of? Who is he so afraid of?Perhaps he was holding onto something… holding back something…Rolling up my sleeves, I beckoned to the men standing outside the room, and they entered immediately.“Shave off his head,” I ordered, nodding towards Jack, who started to whimper pathetically, shaking his head.“No, p-please,” he cried, trying to scamper backwards. “Don’t do
Clara’s POVI let out a deep sigh, placing both hands on my waist in a tired stance.I was taking a walk with Edward, and as much as I used to enjoy doing this with him, I honestly couldn’t say the same now.I was completely exhausted. But he couldn’t even tell…“Come on,” he urged, trying to take the hand on my waist.I sighed again, reaching up to push back my hair. “I’m pregnant, Edward,” I rasped out, spreading my palms, “unlike you. So I don’t expect you to understand what it's like walking miles, whilst having a baby in your womb. It’s not freaking easy.”“You’re right,” he replied, a small smile staining his lips. “That’s why you have me, to help you.”He reached down again and gently took my hand in his, guiding me forward. “We still have to get to that hill, remember?”Sighing, I let him guide me, taking slow, painstaking steps towards the direction he guided me, until the hill came into sight.Finally, we got to the hill, and I let out a deep breath, appreciating the feel of
Nate’s POV I glanced over at the ginger-haired woman with an average bump, my jaw ticking as I contemplated if she was the right fit for the job. No—if she could execute the plan the way to my satisfaction. I cleared my throat loudly, drawing her attention. “So,” I started, “let’s go over the plan one more time.” She nodded, turning to me. “First off,” I pulled up my sleeves, counting off on my fingers, “you barge into any news network and demand to have an interview. Now, why do we need an interview?” I spread my palms, “to expose me,” I added almost immediately, in response to my question, as I pointed at my chest. She nodded, following closely. “When an interview is granted,” I continued, “you’ll claim to be carrying my child, and I’ve been sending just $10,000 monthly, for support.” “Obviously,” I scoffed, “the amount is outrageous already, and people would think you’re just being selfish, but that’s not the point here.” “The point is,” I drew closer, “to show that I have
Nate’s POVI glanced over at the ginger-haired woman with an average bump, my jaw ticking as I contemplated if she was the right fit for the job.No—if she could execute the plan the way to my satisfaction.I cleared my throat loudly, drawing her attention.“So,” I started, “let’s go over the plan one more time.”She nodded, turning to me.“First off,” I pulled up my sleeves, counting off on my fingers, “you barge into any news network and demand to have an interview. Now, why do we need an interview?” I spread my palms, “to expose me,” I added almost immediately, in response to my question, as I pointed at my chest.She nodded, following closely.“When an interview is granted,” I continued, “you’ll claim to be carrying my child, and I’ve been sending just $10,000 monthly, for support.”“Obviously,” I scoffed, “the amount is outrageous already, and people would think you’re just being selfish, but that’s not the point here.” “The point is,” I drew closer, “to show that I have a baby o
Clara’s POV Henry and I stared at each other for what felt like forever, my eyes burning with anger, his full of something else. Maybe surprise that I wanted to see him. Finally, he sighed, leaning back with a shrug. “Fine. I’ll tell you, since you’re so desperate to know.” I couldn’t help the small sigh of satisfaction that slipped from me as I leaned back in my seat, folding my arms. “I’m all ears.” “But first,” he said, smiling, “Why are you so covered up?” He raised an eyebrow, a smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth. “Let me guess, you don’t want to be seen with me?” I shot him a glare, my lips pressing into a tight line. “That’s not important right now.” He shrugged again, biting back a laugh. He signaled the waitress, ordering an iced coffee and a bagel, then leaned forward, clasping his hands on the desk. I watched him, trying to decide if I could trust anything that came from the mouth of someone so… off. There was something unsettling about him with each se
CLARA’S POV A rush of adrenaline coursed through my veins. My eyes flew open, and I could feel something stirring deep inside me: a soft, steady thumping. Was that… my wolf? Lying against Edward’s chest, I lifted my fingers to my neck, gently caressing the bite mark. Then my hand drifted to my chest, pausing over my heart, feeling the pulse beneath my skin. Yes… that was truly my wolf. “Clara…” A faint, almost whispering voice called to me, and I jolted upright, clutching my chest as my heart hammered wildly. Was that her voice? Edward stirred beside me, his gaze sharp and cautious as he watched me. “Is everything okay?” I nodded shakily, rubbing my palms against my chest to steady myself. “Yeah, I… I think I just heard my wolf’s voice.” My words were breathless, disbelief still clinging to them. Edward’s eyes widened, and he quickly propped himself up. His hand gently covered mine, his touch warm and comforting. “And I think I can feel her too,” I added, my voice barely a
CLARA’S POV I leaned against the balcony railing, looking down at the patio below. For a brunch we’d thrown together just days ago, the turnout was incredible. Like Lydia suggested, I had to put myself out there before launching my company and the first step was this brunch for women in business. Lydia had sent out invitations and they’d shown up in numbers. More than I expected. More than I could have hoped for. I was impressed and grateful. And, if I was being honest, a little on edge. The patio was packed with at least two hundred women, maybe more, each one a business owner from different packs. Soft music drifted from the speakers, mingling with the low hum of conversation. On one side, rows of neatly arranged tables stretched out, white cloths draped over them, wine glasses catching the sunlight. The whole setup looked… perfect. I ran a hand over my dress, taking in the scene when Lydia’s voice suddenly cut through my thoughts. “Luna,” she said from behind me,
CLARA’S POV I leaned against the balcony railing, looking down at the patio below. For a brunch we’d thrown together just days ago, the turnout was incredible. Like Lydia suggested, I had to put myself out there before launching my company and the first step was this brunch for women in business. Lydia had sent out invitations and they’d shown up in numbers. More than I expected. More than I could have hoped for. I was impressed and grateful. And, if I was being honest, a little on edge. The patio was packed with at least two hundred women, maybe more, each one a business owner from different packs. Soft music drifted from the speakers, mingling with the low hum of conversation. On one side, rows of neatly arranged tables stretched out, white cloths draped over them, wine glasses catching the sunlight. The whole setup looked… perfect. I ran a hand over my dress, taking in the scene when Lydia’s voice suddenly cut through my thoughts. “Luna,” she said from behind me,
NATE’S POV I got home late, the weight of the day still hanging off my shoulders. Amanda’s arrival had gone smoother than I expected, and now it was time to deal with the loose ends. One, in particular, had overstayed her welcome. Isla. She was on the couch, curled up like she owned the place, watching TV and eating grapes. As if she wasn’t the biggest disappointment of the year. I didn’t wait for her to notice I was home. “You’re done,” I said flatly as soon as I entered. She looked up at me, confused for half a second. “What?” And then, like she suddenly remembered I was just coming back, she stood up, drawing close to me. “You’re late today. Work must have been stressful.” She moved to touch my face but I hit her hand away. “You’re leaving tonight.” I told her firmly, trying not to sound irritated as I felt. “You failed to do the one thing I kept you here for. You’re useless now.” She paused, as if trying to make sense of what I said. “Excuse me?” “You couldn’t