ANMELDENMelissa. I woke up slowly, my body stretching lazily against the softness of the bed.A quiet breath slipped past my lips as I rolled slightly onto my back, staring up at the ceiling for a brief moment, letting the calmness of the morning settle over me.It had been… exhausting.Yesterday alone felt like it had drained every ounce of energy from me.From accompanying Louis around the hall, greeting guests, maintaining composure, answering questions, to dealing with Amelia’s perfectly crafted drama…I closed my eyes briefly.A faint scoff almost escaped me, of course she would choose a public setting, of course she would perform.Everything about it had been predictable.And yet… still tiring.I pushed the thoughts away and sat up slowly, stretching my arms above my head. My muscles protested slightly, reminding me just how long the day had been.“Just one quiet morning…” I murmured to myself.That was all I wanted, nothing complicated, nothing dramatic…just peace.I slipped out of bed
AmeliaI was still leaning against them when we moved away from the entrance, their hands steadying me as if I might collapse at any moment.If only they knew.The only thing threatening to collapse was the mask I was struggling to keep in place. Inside me, something was boiling, raging and burning so fiercely I could almost feel it clawing its way up my throat.How did it turn up this way?The worst part of it was that stood there…calm, composed and untouched.It infuriated me.That wasn’t how this was supposed to go.I had expected her to lose control, to react, to embarrass herself in front of everyone, just like she always did back then.To remind them all of the weak, pathetic girl she used to be but she didn’t, she didn’t even look affected, she stood there like she was above us.Above me.My fingers curled tightly at my sides as they helped me walk.What I wanted…What I truly wanted…Was to run back there….Grab her….Slap her hard across the face and wipe that calm, superior look
Cypril.I had lost my wolf in order to save her.That alone should have meant something, It should have counted for something but as I stood there, watching her turn her back on me without a second glance, it didn’t feel like sacrifice.It felt like failure.A complete, crushing failure that settled heavily in my chest, making it hard to breathe.My fingers curled slowly at my sides as her retreating figure disappeared further into the crowd, her hand firmly held by Louis, her posture straight, her head high.She didn’t look back, not once and somehow… that hurt more than anything else she had said.My jaw tightened.A dull ache spread through me, deeper than anything I had felt in years.Then…the memories came, uninvited and unstoppable.They crashed into my mind with such force that for a moment, I wasn’t standing in a grand hall filled with powerful Alphas anymore.I was back there.Back on the training field.The sun had been bright that day, casting long shadows across the ground
Melissa.I was still smiling, the corners of my lips lifted in a soft, genuine curve, when Louis leaned closer. His presence pressed just slightly against my side, his voice dropping to that low, intimate murmur that made me shiver despite myself. I let out a soft, quiet laugh, the sound barely above the music, but it was filled with amusement, a gentle escape from the formality of the hall.For a fleeting moment, everything felt effortless. Light. Easy. Like the weight of the entire evening had vanished and all that remained was the simple connection between us.We had just finished greeting a handful of the most important guests, powerful Alphas, influential figures, people who carried themselves with authority and expected the same from us. They were polite, formal, respectful. And I had handled each interaction with practiced grace, answering questions with calm precision, offering polite smiles, nods, and gestures where appropriate. Louis, of course, carried the weight of thei
Cain.I remained where I stood long after she walked away.The noise of the banquet slowly returned, voices rising, glasses clinking, laughter echoing faintly across the hall, but none of it reached me.All I could hear was her voice.You’re trash.My jaw tightened.For a moment, I couldn’t even tell what I was feeling. Anger? No. Not entirely. It wasn’t sharp enough, wasn’t loud enough. It was something heavier. Something that sat deep in my chest and refused to move.I exhaled slowly, dragging a hand across my face before turning away.“Let’s go,” I muttered to my brothers, though my voice lacked its usual authority.Without waiting for a response, I walked back to our table, each step felt heavier than the last.I took my seat and reached for the nearest glass, pouring wine into it before downing it in one go. The burn barely registered this time.Around us, the party continued like nothing had happened.Alphas laughed, some already deep in their drinks, others discussing alliances
Caleb.For a long moment after she walked away, none of us moved.I stood there like someone had struck me across the face, my mind struggling to catch up with what had just happened. The sound of her heels clicking against the marble floor faded slowly into the distance, yet it echoed loudly inside my head.Melissa.The name kept repeating itself over and over again like a curse I couldn’t escape.Five years.For five years, I had believed she was gone.Dead.Burned to ashes in that fire.And now she had just stood in front of us—alive, stronger, more beautiful than I remembered—and reduced us to nothing with a few sharp words.I swallowed hard.My chest felt tight, like something heavy had been dropped right in the middle of it.“How…” I finally muttered under my breath, though the word sounded weak even to my own ears.Cain hadn’t moved since she left.He stood rooted to the spot, his eyes still fixed in the direction she had gone, his expression blank in a way that unsettled me.C
Melissa. I was still dangling helplessly from the door, wrists bound, my forehead pressed against the wood, when the handle jerked violently from the other side.Before I could even gasp, the door slammed inward, ripping my weight forward and then shoving me backward with brutal force. My body sna
Amelia.I was already cracking inside, long before the words were spoken. But the moment the Grand Alpha made the announcement ...that I would not be marrying the triplets…that they would marry Melissa instead ....my world didn’t just tilt, It collapsed.A low, disbelieving laugh scraped my throat,
Melissa.“And where do you think you are going?”The doorway swallowed his silhouette at first, broad shoulders, rigid stance, breath puffing in the faint corridor light. But the moment I lifted my gaze and saw his face fully, everything inside me snapped cold.Fredrick.My stomach dropped, my hear
MELISSA.The guards grabbed me roughly before I could even gather what little strength remained in my limbs. Their hands were firm, unyielding, and unforgiving as they yanked my arms behind my back. Cold metal scraped my skin, and then the chains clinked sharply, loud in the silence, biting into my







