MasukThe morning breeze drifted softly through the tall windows of Teryndale House—the second palace granted by the Pack Council to Charles Pendleton when he stepped down from the throne nearly seventeen years ago. Although not as large as Noctilux Palace, it remained magnificent, built from pale marble and filled with ancient carvings. It was surrounded by a peony garden tended personally by Brianna Stellaris.
In their twilight years, Charles and Brianna lived far more peacefully. There were no more exhausting council meetings, political debates, border matters or midnight patrols. Their days were now filled with simple activities: morning walks in the garden, afternoon tea on the eastern terrace, reading reports from the social foundation they managed and occasionally visiting their grandchildren.
But tranquility was often pierced by unpleasant realities. Occasionally, matters from Noctilux Palace or the never-ending affairs of the Pendleton family still brushed aga
For a moment, no one spoke. The atmosphere felt utterly still, as if the air had swallowed every sound. The silence was so quiet that it was almost deafening, and the ticking of the wall clock echoed sharply as none of them moved.Wade was still standing beside the table. His body was as rigid as a stone pillar. His dark eyes were fixed on Estelle, who continued to walk with light, deliberate steps. His breath had yet to steady. He still couldn’t comprehend the words that had just come out of Estelle’s mouth.“I don’t understand,” said Wade, not blinking, his gaze fixed on Estelle as if he were wrestling with the most difficult puzzle of his life. His voice was low and strained, full of uncertainty. “What do you mean, Estelle?”Estelle stopped right in front of Wade. The door behind her was shut tightly, creating a clear boundary between the room and the outside world. She looked resolute, conveying that her decision was
The morning breeze drifted softly through the tall windows of Teryndale House—the second palace granted by the Pack Council to Charles Pendleton when he stepped down from the throne nearly seventeen years ago. Although not as large as Noctilux Palace, it remained magnificent, built from pale marble and filled with ancient carvings. It was surrounded by a peony garden tended personally by Brianna Stellaris.In their twilight years, Charles and Brianna lived far more peacefully. There were no more exhausting council meetings, political debates, border matters or midnight patrols. Their days were now filled with simple activities: morning walks in the garden, afternoon tea on the eastern terrace, reading reports from the social foundation they managed and occasionally visiting their grandchildren.But tranquility was often pierced by unpleasant realities. Occasionally, matters from Noctilux Palace or the never-ending affairs of the Pendleton family still brushed aga
Wade's head still felt heavy when he stepped out of the lift and entered the ground floor of his office. The dizziness had faded, but the remnants of last night’s events—whatever had happened between him and Estelle—still lingered beneath his slightly shadowed eyes. His stride was steady, though there was a faint tension in his shoulders as if his body were fighting off an inexplicable fatigue.When the automatic glass doors opened, he was greeted by the familiar office air. The space was spacious, spotless and cool, filled with large screens displaying sales graphs, previews of upcoming programmes and a list of artists scheduled to attend next week’s major event. He usually enjoyed this atmosphere, but today everything felt louder than it should have been.Wade’s arrival was greeted by his secretary, Lina Fletcher. She was neat and tidy, with her brown hair styled flawlessly. She approached him with a digital tablet full of agendas and greeted him.“Good morning, sir.”Wade gave a sl
The cold hit Estelle without warning, slicing through her skin like a thin blade of ice and burrowing straight into her bones. It wasn’t caused by a gust of wind or the morning air seeping in through the cracks in the office windows; it came from something far deeper— rejection.Lennon’s words, which Estelle had forced out of him, echoed in her ears like an irrevocable decree. The world trembled; the sky seemed to collapse and crash straight into the soul of Estelle’s wolf like a heavy chain being snapped apart with great force. Despite having prepared herself, Estelle had not expected the pain to strike her again in such a familiar and brutal way, evoking painful memories of her first life as if time had folded back on itself.Estelle felt the source of that piercing agony not in Lennon’s words or the tone of his voice, but in the ring on her finger. It seemed to pulse with a coldness of its own, as if the metal had absorbed all the warmth from her body and was reflecting it back as
The office felt cold in an odd way, not because of the air conditioning, which was always set to a low temperature, but because the atmosphere had frozen the moment Estelle finished speaking.Lennon was still standing behind his desk. Both hands rested on the glass surface. His gaze remained fixed on Estelle, as if he still hadn’t fully grasped what had happened, still trying to process the meaning behind every word she had spoken. Meanwhile, Estelle stood tall, calm and unflinching, with an expression that left him unable to breathe.“Estelle.” Lennon finally spoke. His voice cracked softly, as if he were trying to gather the scattered pieces of logic falling out of his mind. “What... what do you mean?”Estelle looked straight at him. The gentle gaze she used to give him had hardened into something sharp and cold. 'Don't waste my time, Lennon,” she said quietly yet precisely. “I don't want to spend my time answeri
That morning, Nocilium Corp.’s headquarters were filled with a kind of activity that had not yet fully begun. New staff members arrived and crowded the lobby, moving quickly, yet the executive floor remained calm and silent, as always.On the top floor, at the very end of the corridor, Lennon was working. His desk was cluttered with financial reports, contract drafts, merger proposals and small notes that only he could understand.Morning sunlight poured through the large window behind him, casting golden lines across his dark hair. He leaned forward slightly as he read a report.Faith stood beside him. “Sir, I’ve reorganised the export division’s report. Would you like—?”Lennon nodded without lifting his head. “Put it on the desk. I’ll review it after this.”Faith nodded. “All right, sir,” she said, placing the file on the table. Then she exhaled lightly, preparing to leave.







