Mag-log inCassie Jones POV
THE NEXT MORNING I yawned on my bed as I turned around to look at Jamie but I couldn’t see him so I stood up to take a proper look at the room. Even though I couldn’t remember clearly what happened last night, I knew we both just had sex together and he professed his love for me too. As I stood up, I smiled at the blood on the bed signifying my innocence before going into the bathroom to shower. After showering, I wore the short flag pink gown on the dressing table which I guessed he had just left for me and picked up my purse. I went out and headed towards the hallway since everywhere was quiet so I was thinking Jamie would be addressing everyone today and he would fully start his alpha’s duties. As I walked along the hallway, I could hear the maids looking at me and gossiping but I had no idea what they were talking about. “Did you know the alpha is choosing a new Luna today during his speech?” I heard one of the maids who passed beside me said, I gasped, my mind clouded with thoughts. He had finally decided he didn't need any mate and was choosing me because he realized I must have really loved him. I didn’t care about anyone but I do to him in a lot of ways and I will continue doing because he’s worth it. I smiled lightly before walking faster to get to the hallway, I couldn’t wait for him to call my name and show me as Luna to the whole pack. I was scared, I wouldn’t lie. All these years, I've been waiting day and night for him to propose to me. As I got to go the hallway, I met him addressing all the pack members so I stood staring at him from the entrance without going in. He was everything every lady wanted. “Everyone is wondering who our Luna will be.” Immediately he said that, shouts erupted. Everyone wanted to know who was his fated mate or who would be our Luna. But my mind went to our intimacy last night. The rhyme, the sound, the promise. And lastly when he told me about how he had always crushed on me again. I wanted to ignore the feeling but I was already getting wet thinking about it even though I knew I shouldn’t be that way since other lone wolves can easily detect my wet feelings. I saw him stare at me for a few minutes and smiled, which he reciprocated back. “It’ll be announced in some time, so everyone can enjoy one another as I need to settle some things.” I frowned as he said that but he walked out coming to me. “Why are you here?” He asked me, the question was weird as I’m the one who was supposed to be called Luna right? “Of course I’ll be here, I mean, you forgot…” “You can’t stand here. I’m saying you should go and sit down there.” He interrupted me by pointing at the front chair, staying alone. Without waiting for my response, he went back to the stage and started raising the attention of the pack members which was annoying me. Why will he ask me to go and sit down at the front lonely seat when he can easily call me from here and he was being distant from me which felt more weird. “Our new Luna will be someone we all know well. A loving and brave soul, she’s the most beautiful woman on this earth.” It made me blush when he said that. I adjusted my gown to fit more so I’ll be comfortable walking on the stage. “It’ll be no other person than Alex.” Immediately he said that, my shoulders dropped. The light reflected on me but someone from behind pushed me which made me fall on my knees as she walked inside. She went on the stage and smiled at everyone as Jamie kissed her lips, I could feel my breath seizing away just with the scene. My heart was burning in pain as I was confused at whatever was happening in front of me right now. Alex was announced as the new Luna of the Vale pack or was it about the man I love announcing it himself. Now I remembered why Daisy kept being around him, Daisy was Alex’s best friend. It wasn’t until after I came here that I befriended Daisy. “She’s my fated mate, most of you all might be wondering why we kept it a secret, it was found out recently since we found out a few weeks ago.” “And for the alpha succession party to go smoothly and successfully.” As he said that, I could feel my heart beating rapidly in pain No no no, I don’t want to believe what I was hearing. Few weeks ago? I have been lied to. Used, dumped and betrayed. Everyone was chanting her name and praising her while she stood shamelessly smiling and waving hands at everyone. Shocked was an understatement to describe how I felt right now as I stood up angrily dashing towards the stage. “What do you two think you both are doing right now?” I shouted as I cleaned my tears and at Alex angrily. “Why her, Jamie ? Why is she the one to be your mate? Why does she deserve to be your Luna? What happens to the promise you told me? Have you forgotten what happened between us last night?” He let go of Alex’s hand and stared at me, he broke into a smile at first turning it into a laughter as his face turned cold all of a sudden. This will be the first time he’ll stare at me this way and all I could see was hatred, pure hatred all over it. “That was just the numerous mistakes two opposite gender friends make when drunk so don’t think about it. It was just a fling.” Immediately he said that, I staggered backwards. My eyes were building up in tears, my heart hurt and I couldn’t believe this was how Jamie ever thought of me. He just told me I was just a fling due to a numerous mistake every friend does make. I had no idea how it happened but I knew I just did the most unexpectable thing. My body fuelled in anger as I climbed up to the stage pulling him to face me as I slapped him across his right cheek. Slam!Cassie's Pov"What do you need from me?" I whispered."Honesty," Lark said without missing a beat. "Full-on, even when it sucks.""Partnership," Mark chimed in. "The real kind, not you calling shots and us tagging along.""And if I can't do that?"The quiet dragged on, loaded with what-ifs we didn't say out loud.At last, Lark broke it. "Then maybe we rethink the whole thing."He headed for the door, then stopped. "Pack meeting's in two hours. The other Alphas want the full story on last night. On how we run things. On if this setup of ours is solid."Once they were gone, I slumped in my chair, head in my hands. The bonds were quieter now, but their disappointment throbbed like a bruise.I'd saved the pack, yeah, but I might've wrecked our bond for good.* * *I tracked down Ella in her room about an hour later. She was meant to be chilling in the infirmary, but she'd pushed to get back to her own spot. It was basic—a bed, desk, some odds and ends.She sat by the window, bundled in bl
Cassie's PovThe quiet in my chambers was choking me. I stood by the window, staring out at dawn, but all I could picture was Lark's face. That look of disappointment, raw betrayal.“You played games with our lives.”His words kept ringing in my ears, like some kind of endless curse. I pressed my hands flat against the cool glass, trying to shove the memory aside, but it stuck to me, thick as smoke.Just a few months back, we'd been out hunting in those same mountains. Only the two of us, no pack drama, no fights over territory. He'd seemed different then, a bit softer, more willing to let his guard down.*"I lost my sister when I was twelve,"* he'd told me, as we sat by a rushing stream, our fresh kills chilling in the snow nearby. *"It was a rogue attack. I was meant to keep her safe, but I just froze up. I stood there like an idiot and watched them rip her to pieces."*I'd wanted to say something comforting, but he raised a hand to stop me.*"That's why I hate games, Cassie. Wh
Cassie's Pov“Did you miss me?” She smiled as she moved further.Death would have been happy to look that good. I kept my face a stone, even though my heart was trying to punch its way out of my chest. Same Alexa, beautiful, terrible."My Luna" Her voice slid across the silent room, filled with sarcasm "How sweet. You gathered everyone for my homecoming."I didn’t budge from the throne. Every instinct I had was shouting, Run, fight, scream, do something! But this was the plan. This was the point of all of it."Alexa. I was wondering when you’d finally come out of the shadows.""Hiding?" That laugh of hers, it always sounded like something precious breaking. "I’ve been busy. Learning, getting strong while you’ve been playing house with this… pack of yours."I felt the fear ripple through the room. The guards raised their weapons, but I saw how their hands shook. "You look tired, Cassie. The crown is not fitting right?""It fits just fine.""Does it? From where I’m standing, it lo
The air in the Vale archives was thick and still, heavy with the scent of crumbling parchment and cold stone. Daisy pressed herself into the shadows of the wall, the rough-hewn rock biting into her back. She held her breath, counting the slow, fading footsteps of the patrol. One heartbeat. Two. The sound melted into the mountain’s silence. Now. Move. She slipped from her hiding place. Her father’s voice was a ghost in her ear, a lesson from a lifetime ago: “The oldest wards don’t shout, little wolf. They hum. Find the frequency, and you can walk through the noise.” Her fingers, delicate and sure, traced the symbols carved deep into the oak doorframe. To her eyes, the unique vision of a hybrid—the magic wasn’t a solid wall. The air rippled. The ward didn’t shatter; it sighed, parting like a weary curtain. She didn’t hesitate. Her feet carried her to the heart of the chamber, to a circle of stone wolves frozen in eternal snarls. And there, on a pedestal of night-black marbl
Cassie's PovThe council meeting was a special kind of torture, each minute stretching like frayed elastic. Across the polished table, Mark’s voice was a steady, professional drumbeat, outlining hunting rotations. A perfect Alpha. But the words dissolved into meaningless noise before they reached me.My mind was still back at the bonfire, trapped in the electric space between Lark’s gaze and mine."...which brings us to the healer situation." Mark’s tone shifted, pulling me from the memory.I blinked, forcing myself into the present. Chief Healer Maeven looked exhausted, the lines on her face etched deeper than yesterday. "The infirmary is overwhelmed. We need more hands, especially with the wounded from both packs.""What do you need?" I asked, my voice feeling rusty."That woman from the festival. Ella" The name hit my gut like a physical blow. "She has real skill. I could use her expertise."My jaw tightened. Ella. The woman with the serene smile and Lark’s undivided attention
Cassie's PovThe lists were trying to kill me. Not with a sword, but with words. Each name was a weight. I felt like I was drowning in paper.Then I heard it.Music. Real music. Not a war drum. A fiddle and laughter.I dropped my pen. It was a stupid list anyway. The dead already knew they were dead. I went to the window.Down in the courtyard, my pack was choosing to live.The firelight painted everything gold. People were dancing. Actually dancing. My shoulder gave a mean throb. The sling was off, but the scar was a nasty reminder. A present from my sister.“You planning to hide up here all night?”Mark. He stood in the doorway with two cups. They smelled like cinnamon and trouble.“I’ve got work,” I said, but it was a lie. My heart was down there with the music.“The work can wait. They need to see your face, Cassie. They need to know you made it.” He shoved a cup into my hand. It was warm. “When’s the last time you had fun?”I didn’t answer. I couldn’t remember.“Come on.” He off







