LOGINTHE RED CRESCENT Kael’s POV(Ambassador of Alpha King Aarav)Silence.The entire ballroom remained frozen beneath the crimson glow spreading across the young woman’s collarbone I couldn’t breathe.The mark burned brighter. A perfect crescent. Red. A pulse slammed violently against my ribs ‘Impossible! This cannot be.’For one terrifying second, I genuinely wondered whether history had decided to repeat itself. “No…”The whisper escaped my mouth before I could even realize it. Around me, every Alpha wore the same expression. Some were Disbelief, while others were Fear. Something older than memory had awakened inside this room. Yet no one uttered a word. Not one person moved.Every wolf present in this ceremony, no matter what territory they belonged to, knew the truth. Red Crescent did not exist. They belonged to forgotten stories. Children’s tales. Ancient warnings told around fires. Yet there it was. Alive. Burning against her trembling skin. My gaze shifted from the mark
DANGEROUS CURIOSITYRyan’s POVTHE PAST WEEKSomething was wrong with me.That was the first thought that crossed my mind as I stared down at Isla Warren, standing in the middle of my private floor, looking completely terrified and completely defiant at the same time.The addictive scent in the air was becoming unbearable.My wolf paced violently beneath my skin while I watched her struggle to breathe properly under the pressure of my aura. Any other wolf would have lowered their eyes by now. Most avoided direct eye contact with me entirely.But Isla kept looking at me. Confused. Suspicious. And strangely unafraid.I should have called security immediately. Instead, I found myself studying her.Again.“You are either very brave,” I said slowly, “or very foolish.”Her throat bobbed slightly as she swallowed.“I got lost.”The answer came too quickly to be rehearsed.Honest.I narrowed my eyes slightly. “You ignored direct instructions on your first night here.”“I said I got lost. Not
STAYRyan’s POVONE WEEK LATERThe bar was quieter than I preferred, but that was the reason I had chosen it.No wolves here. No subordinates watching my face for something they could report back to the estate. Just low lighting, the smell of aged whiskey, and Dorian sitting across from me with the particular expression he used when he had something to say and had not decided yet whether to say it.I let him sit with it.The glass in my hand was still half full. I had been staring at it for twenty minutes."The northern pack leaders are requesting a third meeting," Dorian said finally."I know.""And the council wants a response by the end of the week regarding the territory boundaries.""I know that too."Dorian was quiet for a moment. He was my aide, my most trusted one, and the only person in my employ who had ever looked me directly in the eye and told me I was wrong about something. That quality was the reason I kept him close."You came out tonight," he said carefully, "and it w
CRESCENT ESTATEIsla’s POVThe gates of Crescent Estate were taller than the house I grew up in. That was the first thing I noticed.Not the black iron bars stretching endlessly upward or the massive walls disappearing into the distance like they had no end. Not even the two wolves standing beside the entrance. Breathing and vigilant.Their eyes followed the car slowly as I pulled closer, and suddenly, for the first time since accepting the job, panic settled heavily inside my chest.What exactly had I walked into?I swallowed hard and rolled down the window halfway.Before I could even speak, one of the guards stepped forward.He was huge. Not just tall. Huge enough to make me feel smaller from inside the car alone. His expression remained cold as his gaze moved over me briefly before checking something on a device in his hand.“Name,” he said.“Isla Warren.”His eyes lowered again, but now to the driver. A few seconds passed. Then he stepped back.“Follow the drive. Do not stop unti
ALPHA KINGIsla’s POVThe moment Alpha Ryan Volkov stepped into the hall, the entire atmosphere changed.Every wolf lowered their head immediately, including Athena beside Roman. The whispers died so fast that it became terrifying. I stood frozen among them, my chest still hurting from Roman’s betrayal, while my mind struggled to catch up with everything happening around me.Ryan Volkov looked exactly the same as he always had.Cold. Untouchable. Dangerous.His black suit fit his broad body perfectly while those ice-blue eyes scanned the room with enough authority to make grown Alphas nervous. He walked forward slowly like a man who already owned every soul inside the building.And technically, he did.“Father,” Roman greeted carefully.Ryan’s eyes moved to him briefly before returning to the crowd.“I arrived at an unfortunate time,” he said calmly.Nobody answered. Nobody dared to.I tried lowering my gaze like everyone else, but somehow, my eyes betrayed me and lifted toward him ag
HEARTBREAKIsla’s POVThe day had only begun a few hours ago, but it felt like no one had slept at all throughout the night, and that was because of what was coming. The pack gathering.It was a gathering that had existed for a long time. A moment where all wolves mingled with each other, wined and dined, showed off their mates, and even found love among themselves. Everyone was always excited about it.They all were.Unlike me, who would be avoided as usual, gossiped about, or even bullied and humiliated. Hence, the reason why I had not attended it in the last two years.But this time, I, Isla Warren, would be at the pack’s gathering because I finally had a reason to.“Isla!”I jolted at the sudden sound of that angry voice, hastily hiding the dress I had picked out for the event back into my wardrobe. I rushed to my squeaky, worn-out bed, pretending to be asleep as I hopped into it.“Isla!!”The voice came again, angrier and drawing closer. I stayed put, my eyes tightly shut.She sw







