(Almiraโs POV)I stood in the hospital corridor with my arms folded as I watched Rich being wheeled into a treatment room. I mentally shook my head as I watched his face frown from the pain of all the injuries he received from Lysander last night.His arm was badly injured and he had to get stitches. A lot of stitches. What was he thinking? I could hardly believe he fought an Alpha like Lysander.I shook my head in disbelief.I still remember how I desperately tried so hard to pull them out from each other because they were stuck like glue the whole time. Thankfully, the guards came to stop them both from killing each other.I think they were Alpha Reginaldโs men. Their moves are just familiar to me. Even their scent sends me back all the painful things they did to me in the past. Seeing them again reminds me of so many memories.When Rich was finally brought into the room, I approached him with a stern look. He looked up to me like an innocent kid. "Rich, what were you thinking?" I s
(Almiraโs POV)The next morning, I woke up to a not so startling news. Rich has been discharged from the hospital. Well, Iโm not really that surprised. It was almost like he didnโt catch any injury at all after what happened that night.The doctors were very shocked at how fast he recovered. He was actually expected to be here for at least a week. Instead, he looked almost like he was never even hurt to begin with.I can hardly believe it myself. Did I actually do that?Iโm not exactly sure what I did, but Iโm really hoping that thereโs some sort of hint that could tell me what kind of mystical shit I did last night.Later that day, Rich and I packed up and checked to leave the hospital. We knew that itโs not safe to stay there for long. We decided to stay in a different hotel this timeโa far oneโso Lysander can no longer track us with all his connection and shit.I know heโs got eyes everywhere here in New York. The least thing I could do is move to a different place. But I know itโs
(Almiraโs POV)I left the library as soon as I realized that it was getting dark outside. I decided to just borrow the book because I wasn't done reading all the information I needed to know. I still have to find out how I was able to possess the powers of that mystical wolf.There has to be some sort of sign. Why was I chosen? Am I a reincarnation of her? Do I continue her purpose?The streets are already quiet and empty as I take a shortcut through a narrow, dark alley. Thereโs a road waiting for me at the other end. I just didnโt want to catch my face on CCTV because that's the fastest way Lysander could track me again.I clutched my bag, where I keep the book, and kept my eyes forward. I'm lowkey desperate to be home because I promised Rich that I wouldnโt leave the hotel without telling him.I knew heโd forced himself to get up to come with me, and I didnโt want that. He needs to recover.Suddenly, a gruff voice stopped me from walking."Hey there, beautiful," one man slurred.I
(Lysanderโs POV)I silently sat in my study with my glass of wine. My room was dim and quiet, making it look like a piece of shit hole for depressed lovers. But thatโs just how I liked it.Once again, I replayed the events at Almira's hotel room in my mind.It was real then.That doctor, Rich, is truly in a relationship with her. Why else would he be visiting her hotel room? And the last time I checked, heโs supposed to be living his stupid medical life in Italy.He flew across the world for her? Just why would he do that if nothing special is going on between the two of them. Everything about them is telling me that theyโre in a relationship, but I just canโt bring myself to believe that they are a thing.It just doesn't make any sense to me. The way I feel when I think of her twins... I cannot shake the thought that maybe I am related to them. I have a deep connection to them.How could they not be mine?*Creeekk!*My thoughts were interrupted when the door suddenly creaked open. At
(Almiraโs POV)After almost one week of waiting, they finally called me. I was starting to think of just using my connection to fly out of here illegally.I would do anything to go back to my kids.My heart pounded as I picked up the phone. I was in the middle of cooking porridge for Rich and my hands were all wet when I grabbed the device.โHello?โ I answered."Maโam Almira Sinclair?โ the other line asked. I hummed softly to confirm my identity. โYour passport issue has been resolved. You can now leave anytime. Weโre very sorry for the inconvenience.โRelief washed over me. I thought Iโm never going to receive an update from them again."Thank you so much! We'll book our flight right away."I was about to drop the call when the lady spoke again. โPlease, accept our simple apology gift. We decided to give you a free ticket back to Italy. And to ensure your comfortability, we booked you in the high class section,โ she said, which made me raise my eyebrows a little.High class?We usual
(Lysanderโs POV)Itโs been a week since I sent Damon to replace the twinโs teacher. It didn't take much money to get her to leave her job.We found out that sheโs in a one million dollars debt from aggressive loan sharks. And I just have to pay five times of that for her help Damon enter the school smoothly.It won't take long before I finally have the results in my hand.I can't wait to find the truth about my twins.I know they're mine.I just need a legal paper to prove that.Suddenly, the door to my room opened, making me hide all the pictures back in the drawers.I glanced at Beta Mid who looked like he just saw a ghost."Alpha, the reports keep coming in," he said. "There are frequent deaths along the borders. Some of our werewolves are turning blue before they die, and others are decapitated in their wolf form."My brows furrowed from what he said.I got so busy with Almiraโs arrival that I wasnโt really able to focus on the pack affairs. I left it under Beta Midโs watch to ens
(Almiraโs POV)I was just sitting at my desk in the office when my phone suddenly buzzed. Iโm already expecting messages from work, but it was my other phone that received a notification.You see, I have two phones. One that I use for work. And one that I use for personal purposes. This is my way of dividing my work from personal stuff. I donโt really like it when they get all mixed up.I glanced at the screen and saw a message from the werewolf council. My heart skipped a beat from that. I read the warning silently. It reads increasing deaths in America. Werewolves are turning blue and some are even decapitated when in their wolf form.โWaitโฆ I think Iโve read something like this before. I remember back at the library, while I was researching about myself. It was the same thing.โI remember reading about this in that old book at the library. I canโt be mistaken. Itโs the exact same thing.I leaned back in my chair and whispered to myself, "This is exactly what the book said."I scann
(Almiraโs POV)Despite Richโs disapproval, I still returned to America. I said my farewell to the twins, also to my parents. They told me to be careful, but didn't stop me.They said that they can't stop me if I really think that I could help save those werewolves.I know that Rich is mad at me for leaving again, but I know that heโll always choose to understand me. That's what he always does. And I really do hope that he still does this time because I don't know what else to do if he leaves me hanging, too.My flight landed in New York and almost immediately, I was greeted by members of the werewolf council.โMiss Almira Sinclair?โ they confirmed as they greeted me in the airport. I looked at the three of them. Two women and one man.One of them looks old. He must be an Elder of the werewolf council.โYes,โ I said. โIโm sorry to keep you waiting. The flight took me hours.โThe woman shook her head.โIt is us who should apologize for inconveniencing you. Miss Sinclair, you came all th
(Hazel's POV)The honey cakes taste too sweet. Like they’re trying to cover something up.I chew slow, just like Mama told me—never trust sweetness too fast. Especially from someone who talks too soft and smiles too much. I keep my eyes half-closed, the way wolves do when they’re watching something dangerous.Rachelle’s voice is like syrup, sticky and fake. “I want to help you, Hazel. You and your brother. I want to teach you how not to be controlled.”I blink at her.That word. *Controlled*. I don’t like it. It sounds like cages and chains and being told what to do with the thing that burns under my skin. I don’t know what I am yet—but I know I’m not a tool. And neither is Asher.She leans closer, like she thinks we’re sharing secrets now. “People are always scared of what they can’t control. Even your mother.”I sit up straighter. “My mom&rsquo
(Rachelle’s POV)Later that eveningThe night is soft and heavy with the scent of pine and late-blooming jasmine. The wind hums outside my window, stirring the curtains like a lullaby. It should be calming.But I’m wired.Because they didn’t push me away today.Hazel didn’t glare as hard. Asher actually asked me a question. It was small, meaningless to someone who doesn’t know what to listen for—but to me? It was everything.“Can you do magic too?”A casual question from a curious boy, sure. But it meant he was wondering. Wondering if he could learn something from me. Wondering if I had answers that no one else had given him. And most of all—if I was different from the grown-ups who only saw his power as something to control.That’s how it starts.It always starts with wonder.Hazel, though… Hazel is different.She’s the hard one. Not
(Hazel’s POV)That night, I didn’t sleep.The cake Rachelle brought was still sitting on my windowsill, getting all stale and sticky. I didn’t even take a bite. I just looked at it, trying to decide if it smelled weird. It didn’t. But it still made my stomach feel funny.Not the cake.Her.I curled under my blanket and hugged Bramble, my stuffed bear. I told Mom I was too big for him now, but I wasn’t ready to let him go. Bramble didn’t judge me when I was scared, or when I had to think real hard like tonight. He just stayed.“She’s not like the others,” I whispered to him.He didn’t answer, but I pretended he was listening.Rachelle’s eyes were too shiny when she smiled. Not in a nice way, like Mom’s when we do something good. No, it was the kind of shiny that hides sharp things. Like when a fox pretends to be a friend.I touched the charm she gave
(Rachelle's POV)Hazel is quiet the rest of the visit, but she doesn’t push me away.She watches. Listens. And when I say I should get going, she stands and walks me to the door."Will you come back tomorrow?" she asks, her voice feather-light, almost fragile.I blink, surprised. “If you’d like me to.”She nods slowly. “I think I would.”And just like that, I win a sliver of trust. Or so I think.Or so I believe.The next day, I return with more treats—berry tarts this time, and a little charm I enchanted myself, something subtle. A protection token. Fake, of course, but believable enough for a child.Hazel accepts it without a word. But when I sit across from her, I notice something... off.She’s smiling.It’s small. Barely there. But it’s a real smile. And it’s not for me—it’s for herself.“Do you like ridd
(Rachelleโs POV)Reginald is an idiot.A powerful idiot, yesโbut still an idiot. He thinks Iโm working for him. Thinks Iโm here to win *his* little power struggle against Almira. He thinks Iโm just a jealous mate, clinging to my position and my unborn child like it's all Iโve got.He has no idea.As I leave his office, I let my expression shift slowly back into a soft, concerned smileโjust enough for the omegas walking by to see. I even rub my stomach as I pass them. Let them think Iโm maternal. Harmless. Thatโs how you survive in a world of wolves.You act like the sheep.But Iโm not here to be Reginaldโs puppet or Almiraโs shadow. Iโm here for the twins.Hazel and Asher.I saw them onceโjust a glimpseโwhen Almira brought them inside. Hazelโs eyes locked on mine for barely two seconds, but I felt it. Raw energy. Magic that made the hairs on my arms rise.They're different.And I want them.Not because theyโre cute or royal or whatever Reginald imagines. No, I want whatโs *in* them. P
(Reginaldโs POV)I slam the crystal tumbler down onto the desk. Whiskey sloshes over the rim and soaks into a pile of reports Iโve already read twice. Nothing in them helps me. Just more useless updates from spies, empty words from the council, andโworst of allโnothing about how to control the damn twins.Theyโre under my roof, eating my food, breathing my air. But I canโt touch them. Canโt use them. Canโt even speak freely around them without Almira sniffing out my intentions.She ruined everything.She stormed in like some returning hero, claiming motherhood and moral high ground like a prize. The pack flocked to her like sheep. Even Midโmy Betaโhas started tiptoeing around her like she owns the damn place.I stand up, pacing across the room. My heels echo off the marble floor, loud and angry.The childrenโAsher and Hazelโare something different. My Beta confirmed it. Hazel nearly melted through a silver pot in the kitchen, and Asher? He looked at one of the patrol guards, and the g
(Almiraโs POV)The best way to catch a snake is to make it feel safe in the grass.So I pretend. I act like Iโm softening. Like I believe Rachelleโs cooing and concern. I start inviting her more often to โbondโ with the twins. I donโt hoverโbut I watch from a distance. I let her think sheโs winning.Mid and I set everything carefully.We pick a day when Damon is out with the border patrol. The pack house is quiet. The kids are painting in the garden. I leave a worn leather journal on the garden benchโthe one that supposedly contains notes about the twinsโ powers and some fake โritual symbols.โItโs bait.Rachelle arrives exactly on cue.โAlmira,โ she says, all sweet and surprised. โYouโre letting them paint outside alone now?โI smile. โTheyโve been so calm lately. I think it helps them feelโฆ grounded.โShe nods. โMay I?โ she gestures toward the kids.โOf course,โ I say. โIโll be in the herb room. Call if you need me.โI walk away slowly, but not too far.I wait.Minutes pass. Then I
(Almira’s POV)I don’t trust her smile.Not the one she gave my daughter when she asked if she liked painting, her voice all syrup and false warmth. Not the one she flashed at Asher when she offered him cookies she hadn’t even baked herself, pretending to care.And now, after what Mid told me… it all makes sense.She’s watching them. Not like children—but like riddles she’s desperate to solve. Every glance, every question, it’s calculated. Measured. Like she’s gathering data.I pace by the window, arms folded, eyes locked on the backyard. The kids are playing, completely unaware. So innocent. So normal. Asher’s shadow dances at his feet as he laughs, his joy loud and unfiltered. Hazel’s kneeling on the stones, drawing suns and hearts in chalk, her hair catching the light like strands of gold.
(Rachelleโs POV)Theyโre here.The twins. Almiraโs children.I hear it from the servants before breakfast โ whispered between dusting and folding towels. Iโm sipping tea on the balcony, watching birds land on the railing like they know Iโm in a mood.โDid you hear?โ the younger one says, not knowing Iโm listening. โThe twins are back. Damon brought them straight to the Alphaโs quarters.โโTheir mother too,โ the older one adds, a little too loud. โSheโs staying for a while.โI set my teacup down gently. The clink of porcelain is the only sound I allow.So, sheโs here. Again.I rest a hand on my stomach, just enough to play the part. A gentle rub, a soft sigh. The baby bump is small, but itโs there. People soften when they see it. Men open doors. Women smile. Itโs almost too easy.The first time I heard about the twinsโ abilities, I didnโt believe it. It sounded like nonsense. Glowing eyes. Shadows that move. One of the servants even said Asher made a wolf go still just by looking at it