LOGINETHAN The sharp tug on my heart starts before I even reach the gates of the Vale mansion.I sit in the driver's seat of the van I rented, the engine humming low, staring at the gate of the iron entrance.I had already checked the rut centre twice tonight, three guards on rotation on each alpha who sees their ruts there to protect the omegas, the scent filters are installed every week and the emergency exit routes are mapped.Ronan is in safe hands for just one shift, and we're set for life, so why the hell am I here?My fingers tighten around the steering wheel as that invisible rope inside my chest pulls at me harder this time, dragging my attention back to the mansion.My wolf wakes up inside me, whining as a low and restless sound that crawls up in my spine.Mate, he whispers.My jaw locks, not mate. I told him back.I kill the engine, stepping out into the cold air and slamming the door harder than necessary. The sound echoes across the road, “closure, i need to know why she did
KIERAN I call the operations room on the comm the minute I leave the call, “ operations,” I say, a voice responds immediately, “yes high commander.” “Prepare a strike team.” I grate out. A few seconds of silence followed by a “yes sir.”The rain still doesn't stop. It bangs against the windshield of the car, hard as we drive towards the impound for a search and arrest mission.The accident wasn't an accident, I remember the way his bones met the road in that sickening crack that replays in my head time and time again.On paper, this place was just an impound for old and used cars before they were recycled, a concrete lie if you ask me.The convoy drives into the steel gates of the impoundment.But the moment I step out of the vehicle, boots hitting wet pavement and little puddles of water, Fenir rises sniffing for any signs of blood spilled.He has been restless and agitated, not for violence but for truth. The air reeks of oil, rust, and a voice crackles in my ears.“Commander,
KIERAN My boots hit the hallway, as I'm going for a meeting this morning, the chatter from radios buzz everywhere, then the hushed voices of officers as they notice me.The air smells like fear and blood, the kind that settles into the bones of men, who know exactly what I'm capable of.“High commander on deck!” The announcement rises through the halls, instant movement from soldiers, officers straighten their stance, then bows follow too.I don't acknowledge them beyond a brief flick of my eyes. That's all they get. That's all they need.Because weakness gets people killed.I scan their face as I pass, noticing tiny details most people would miss, sweat gathering at their collars, a twitch in a jaw, eyes that drop the minute i pass.“Commander.” A young officer jogs up beside me, his breath uneven from breathing too hard, and trying and failing to match my stride.I don't look at him immediately, “Report,” I say finally.“The southern patrol has secured the perimeter around the city
ETHAN My hands won't stop shaking, not adrenaline but fatigue, the kind that settles into bone and stays there, low and constant, like something buried under the skin that refuses to die.I flex my fingers slowly, and the skin across my hands is split, swollen, and bruised. The dried blood cracks open and stings again, I don't even react.I can't work in a firm or anything that requires checking of identification. The dock shift has me working for eight hours, carrying steel crates that smell like salt and diesel.My shoulders feel like they want to fall off, and now I'm at the next job, as a bouncer my back pressed against the door of iron lung, the bass from the music pours out.That's the only thing keeping me awake, the music, I close my eyes for a second. “Hey don't sleep on the job, man.” My eyes open, slowly as I struggle not to punch him, but I can waste energy on men that don't matter.The line shifts, as Alphas shove past me, one after another , checking and testing if I w
KIERAN His scent fills my office, that's what I like waking up to now, not the noise from the soldiers getting their daily drills in, not the amount of work I have to do today, the scent but it's getting fainter by the day I need to get him back.I move up, grabbing the coffee from the coffee maker on my desk, going to my desk, and starting up the pad.Fenrir shifts inside me, restless, pacing in tight circles like a caged animal.“You smell it too, don't you?” I mutter under my breath, a low rumble answers from inside me, in agreement, not confusion or a memory.During the wedding, he told me if he had to spend his days with Rhea, he was going to kill her, and to prevent that, we moved to the office.We had married her, but that's for now. It states by law that if I found my mate, it could be resolved, so I'm not bothered.“He's not dead.” The amount of relief that piece of information brings to Fenrir could be bottled and sold.As i get daily reports of the movements of bandits and
RHEAThe thought of killing Magnus sits in my chest, I don't move from the floor. Forty-eight hours, Magnus voice croons in my ears.Forty - eight hours to betray a man who already acts like I don't exist, to either secure my future or burn everything to the ground.When morning arrives, the dining room glitters , gold table, gold cutleries, it isn’t even set for breakfast.No glass, no plate, nothing, and the absence of Kieran from the house.I sit at the head of the table anyways, the servants pour in putting food in front of me, i don't even look at it.“Where is my husband?” The words cut cleanly through the room.One of the servants, “Kieran has asked….” I stand up and walk cleanly towards her, slapping her face. “Only I get to call him Kieran. It's high commander Vale to you.”“Continue.” The head steward croons out. “ The high commander reported to his office at 4am, Luna.” Of course he did. “He has also requested that all his meals be delivered to his office until further no
RONANThe roar of the crowd follows me even after I leave the arena.It crawls in my ears, seeps into my bones, and leaves echos.Cheers for Kieran, for him dominating me, for him making a joke out of me there.I keep my head high as I walk, my shoulders squared,my steps equal to an Alpha of my sta
KIERAN The word LIAR is burnt into the back of my eyelids, when I see it.I didn't watch the workers erase it from Ronan's locker, I didn’t need to , the way they had written it was so thick I could smell it halfway from the hallway, the chemical, sharp , ugly smell.Someone wanted it to last, som
KIERAN The artifact in Ronan's hand buzzed, to show its approval.I could feel it from across the grounds, a low and Lunar vibration that hadn't stopped since he emerged from the mist with the rock in his hands.A hunt and loss that didn't make sense to me, I stood apart from others, my posture ri
RonanAs boots run down the corridor, after the announcement the school has been abuzz with the thought of our parents being here,and they also raised the stakes by letting Omegas in.Someone slams into a door down the hall,someone else laughs high and nervous.“ The families are here!” The words e