MasukLucien’s POVMy Queen stood in front of me, her arms crossed, eyes sharp. Not angry sharp, but tired sharp. The kind of look that pierces straight through the armor I try to wear.“Lucien,” she said, voice low but firm, “you’re shutting me out again.”I flinched. I knew she was right. I felt it in every silence, every night we didn’t talk. “I’m not…” I started, but stopped.“You are,” she interrupted, stepping closer. “Every time something happens, every time I need you… you pull back. You close your eyes and pretend I’m not here.”I clenched my fists. My throat burned. “It’s not that simple, Maya!” I snapped. My voice carried farther than I intended, sharp enough to make her flinch.Her lips pressed together, but she didn’t retreat. “Then explain it to me! Because all I see is you locking me out of your thoughts. Of your plans. Of your life!”Her words cut me deeper than any enemy’s claws ever could. I wanted to say something, anything, to make it right, but all I felt was heat,
Finn's POVWhen Alpha Lucien named me Beta, my first thought wasn’t pride.It was fear.Not the kind that makes you run.The kind that makes you stand still and realize that if you fall, everyone behind you falls too.Grayson’s shadow was everywhere.In the council hall. In the training grounds. In the way wolves whispered when they thought I couldn’t hear.“He’s too young.”“He’s not ready.”“He’s not Grayson.”They were right. I wasn’t.But Grayson was gone.And Blood Moon didn’t have the luxury of waiting for someone better.So I stepped forward.The first thing I learned as Beta wasLeadership doesn’t wait for you to catch your breath.By sunrise the next morning, I had three problems.The eastern border was weak. Supplies were still missing. And half the pack didn’t trust anyone anymore.I stood in the yard with a list in my hands and exhaustion already burning behind my eyes.“Alright,” I said loudly. “Listen up.”Some wolves turned. Some didn’t.I raised my voice. “This isn’t o
Lucien's POVI thought I had already lost everything.I was wrong.Some losses don’t bleed. They hollow you out.Grayson stood in front of me, his head bowed, his hands empty. No chains. No guards. He didn’t fight. He didn’t beg.That hurt more than if he had.For twenty-five years, he had stood at my side. We learned to fight together. To lead together. To survive together. He knew my strengths. My fears. He knew the boy I was before I became Alpha.And now I know the truth.Every word Maya said replayed in my mind like a knife that wouldn’t stop cutting.Three years.Three years of lies and secrets sent to Kaiser.I looked at Grayson and searched his face, hoping foolishly that I had misunderstood. That this was some cruel mistake.“Tell me it isn’t true,” I said.My voice didn’t sound like mine.Grayson lifted his head slowly. His eyes were red, and tired.“I wish I could,” he said quietly.Something inside me cracked.“Why?” I demanded. “Why, Grayson? Why betray Blood Moon? Why b
Maya's POVThe truth did not come all at once.It came in small, sharp pieces that cut deeper the more I put them together.The first night after Sophie and I decided to tell Lucien, I couldn’t sleep. My wolf, Lyra, paced inside me like a storm trapped under my skin. Every sound felt too loud. The papers spread across the table in my room.Supply records. Approval seals. Code marks. Names. I stared at them again, hoping, and praying that I had read them wrong.But the ink did not change. The marks did not move. And the name that keptappearing was one I trusted.Grayson. Lucien’s Beta. Lucien’s brother.The man who had trained, fought, and bled beside him.The man who had smiled at me, bowed his head, and sworn loyalty when I became Luna.My chest tightened until it hurt to breathe.“No,” I whispered.Lyra growled low inside me.Truth hurts because it is truth, she said.I shook my head. “There has to be another explanation.”But the trail was clear.The contacts dated back three ye
Sophie's POVI never meant to get involved.That was the funny thing.I wasn’t a warrior. I wasn’t a healer like Rachel. I wasn’t an Alpha or a Luna. I was just Sophie, someone who helped where she could and tried to stay out of trouble.But trouble has a way of finding you when the pack is already bleeding.Blood Moon was rebuilding, but the wounds were deeper than broken walls. You could feel it in the air. In the way wolves spoke quietly. In the way eyes followed everyone just a second too long.No one trusted anyone anymore.I noticed it first while counting supplies.I had been helping near the packhouse store rooms, checking deliveries. Food. Medicine. Wood. Clothes. Things we needed badly after the war.At first, I thought I was just tired. The numbers didn’t line up.We were supposed to have enough grain for two weeks. But the bins were half full. The healer tents asked for more bandages, but the records said they were already delivered.That didn’t make sense. I checked
Lucien's POVThe halls of Blood Moon were alive with noise, yet it felt like I was moving through a storm. Builders shouted directions. Warriors trained, their claws scraping the dirt. Scouts ran back and forth with reports. The pack needed me in every corner at once, and I could feel the weight crushing my shoulders.Maya moved silently at my side, helping where she could, speaking softly to the frightened and the tired. Her presence kept me grounded, even when exhaustion threatened to take over. But the bond between us, the mating bond was still incomplete. She wasn’t ready for that part yet. Years of chains, of abuse, of fear, made her hesitant. And that hesitation was dangerous. The bond, while strong emotionally, had a weakness that enemies could exploit.I sighed, rubbing the back of my neck. I couldn’t fix everything at once. The pack’s infrastructure needed rebuilding, the warriors needed guidance, the wounded needed care, and the Council of Elders demanded reports of ou







