LOGINI did not answer. Percy stood and walked around the desk. He stopped a few steps away from me. “Rue,” he said. “If I ask you to come back to my side, will you?”
My breath stopped for a second. I opened my mouth, but Percy raised his hand slightly. “Don’t answer,” he said.
I froze. He looked away, then looked back at me.
Iris’s POVKristian’s question left my parents with nowhere to hide. Mother kept smiling, but Father straightened and faced him with the authority he had tried to conceal.“Yes, it is us,” Father admitted. “I am Alpha Percy, leader of the Seven Tribes, and this is my Luna, Rue.”Kristian studied them before looking at the instructor, who lowered his head respectfully toward Father.“You disguised yourselves to enter Pillar Holdings,” Kristian said. “Then you pretended to be ill outside my building.”“I wanted to judge the man interested in my daughter before titles influenced his behavior,” Father explained. “You believed I was poor, hungry, and sick. What you did then mattered more than anything you could say to me now.”Kristian did not appear offended. He stepped forward and extended his hand. “Then I hope I passed the first test, Alpha Percy,” Kristian said.Father accepted the handshake. The two Alphas watched each other with the same confidence, neither trying to prove his power
Iris’s POVThe celebration ended late. Before sleeping, Mother inspected my kitchen while Father questioned me about my work and living arrangements.The following morning, he woke me before breakfast and asked me to meet him in the private training hall attached to the apartment complex. I found him there with Mother and a broad-shouldered man I recognized from our tribal territory.The instructor had taught me basic defense when I was younger. Back then, I could barely finish his drills or impress him.“Iris, you remember your former instructor,” Father said. “He travelled with us because I wanted him to assess your current ability.”I looked at Father. “You brought me a combat assessment for my birthday?” I asked.“The gown was the birthday gift,” Father replied. “This is a father making sure his daughter can protect herself.”Mother folded her arms. “Your father has worried about this since he learned what happened at the banquet,” Mother explained. “Allow the instructor to test y
Iris’s POVI looked at him. “How do you know he is generous?”Mother quickly lifted one of the gift boxes they had brought. “We have something for you,” she announced. “You can question your father later.” Two guards carried a long white box inside and placed it on the table.My friends became quiet as Mother untied the ribbon and opened the lid. Layers of soft paper protected a gown made from deep silver material.The fabric looked simple at first, but small black stones had been sewn along the waist and sleeves. They formed the shape of a running wolf when the material moved. The design reminded me of Nancy without openly revealing her.I touched the gown carefully. “You had this made for me?” I asked.“We began planning it months ago,” Mother explained. “The tailor changed the design after we learned about your wolf. The black stones represent Nancy, and the silver represents the strength you carried before she awakened.”Father opened the smaller wooden case he had been holding. I
Iris’s POVFor several seconds, I could only stare at my parents. My mother stood at the door with tears covering her eyes, while my father held himself with his usual control. They were the last people I had expected to see after spending the day wondering whether they had forgotten me. “Iris,” Mother said softly. “Happy birthday, my precious girl.”I stepped forward and threw my arms around her. She held me so tightly that the distance of the past months seemed to disappear. The hurt did not vanish, but for that moment, I was simply their daughter again.Father placed one hand on my shoulder. When I turned toward him, his stern expression failed him. His eyes were wet, though he tried to hide it by looking toward the room behind me.“Are you going to leave your father outside?” Father asked. “Or is hugging only for your mother now?”I released Mother and wrapped my arms around him. Father held me against his chest, and his hand rested carefully on the back of my head. He had comfor
Percy’s POVPretending to be ill had seemed clever for the first few seconds. Then Rue began striking my back and calling for help so loudly that half the street turned to watch us. Most people looked away once they saw our worn clothes. A few walked around the bench without slowing down.“Do not hit me so hard,” I whispered to Rue. “I am pretending to be sick, not choking on a bone.” “Then make it convincing,” Rue whispered back. She raised her voice again. “Please, someone help my husband!”Kristian stopped beside his car. Harrison said something to him, probably reminding him of a meeting, but Kristian handed over his briefcase and crossed the street. His guards followed until he lifted one hand. They stopped immediately.He crouched in front of me without caring that the pavement might dirty his expensive trousers. His eyes moved over my face, my chest, and the hand I had pressed against it. “Sir, can you hear me?” Kristian asked.I allowed my eyelids to open slowly. “I can hear y
Rue’s POVPercy’s report revealed that Kristian would spend the day at Pillar Holdings. If we wanted to learn how he treated ordinary people, we had to look ordinary ourselves.We sent our guards to a hotel, changed inside a rented room, and left our clothes locked away. I wore a faded brown dress, flat shoes, and a coat that hid my jewelry. Percy wore trousers, a shirt, and a cap that made him look like an unhappy farmer.“Stop standing like a chief,” I warned him. “Poor men do not look as though they own every road beneath their feet.” Percy bent his shoulders badly. “Is this poor enough?” he asked.“Now you look as though someone stole your goats,” I replied. “Try to appear less offended.” To protect our disguise, we left the official vehicle behind and took a crowded bus toward the business district.Percy had never fought for a seat in his life. An elderly woman pushed past him, claimed the last open place, and thanked him for allowing her through.Percy stared at me while I held
Aiden’s POVIt’s been five years since Rue walked out of my life, since she disappeared with our daughter and took whatever remained of my soul with her. And still, the emptiness refuses to leave me.Time was supposed to numb it. Everyone said it would. That the sting of betrayal would dull, that g
Rue’s POVMy lips curved into a short smile. “If I wanted your attention, Aiden, trust me—I’d have it. And I wouldn’t have to pretend to be anyone else to get it.” I’d just turned to leave when Aiden moved. His arm blocked my path before I could take another step.I stopped, my pulse quickening—no
Rue’s POVBy the time I returned home that afternoon, I was so tired I wanted to sleep. I’d barely stepped past the threshold when I heard the faint clatter of cleaning tools from the corridor.I frowned.I took a few steps cautiously, wondering who would be at my house. Because except for my frien
Haven’s POVThe moment Aiden disappeared behind the bathroom door, steam already beginning to hiss from the shower, I sighed.All that trembling, that pitiful sobbing, the soft quiver in my voice—gone. In its place came a quiet meditation of the previous events.He had looked at me with confusion t







