LOGINDanikaās POV
āLuna,ā Ariel called carefully when we reached the Blood Moon Eclipse Pack. I didnāt blame him, though. All through the run back home, my face had been a sea of frowns. My mood had been sour, and I could feel my stomach twisting even more. I didnāt know what was happening, but I only thought my stomach had been flipping because of the smell of blood. But even when we reached home, there was no telling when it would stop. āYou have to see the pack doctor,ā he said again. āYou donāt look fine.ā But how could I be when I had killed the woman I had known to be my mother since birth? Even if she was not entirely good or nice when I was little and couldnāt take care of myself, she was there for me. She had taken me like a daughter. She had once treated me like one, even though she claimed she did it for Dad. āDonāt worry, Ariel,ā I had tried to wave him off. āI will be fine. Probably afMira p.O.V Arrows flew, some hitting the rogues, others vanishing into the wild. Screams tore through the clearing. I drew my blade, the crude sword Drake had helped us forge. Its weight steadied me. I darted forward, slashing at a rogue that lunged too close, while the wolves from afar dropped dead the moment my inner venom stung, the ones from afar. I would take it upon myself to make sure they regret ever picking on us, and worse still, foolishly choosing the time of the night to attack. The blade slashed through its chest. And crimson liquid gushed out, but then another wolf crashed into me, sending me sprawling. I slammed into a tree, and pain flared, exploding through my back. Before I could absorb the pain, I heard itāthe tiny voice of a child's cry. I turned, my heart hammering against my ribs when I finally saw him. A small boy, no older than seven, stood frozen as a ro
Mira's P.O.V The hours during the training stretched long. Like an endless abyss. At first, the Vipers fumbled with the learning. The arrows, when they tried to shoot, veered wide and the string snapped loose. Their hands shook from tension, maybe, and their patience frayed. But Drake did not leave them alone. Like he was one of us, he moved among them. Correcting them in their postures, studying their grips, and shaping discipline from chaos. Here, elbow higher, he told one. And don't forget to breathe before you release the arrow. The Viper did as he was told. But his curiosity got the better of him, and he asked, why should we place our elbows higher? Because it gives you more clarity to aim. Hey, anchor your hand here. He guided another, tapping beneath his jaw. In a blink, he had left the first person and corrected another. Again and again, he corrected them until arrows beg
Mira's P.O.V It was my father's voice standing opposite me. His face was set in cold defiance. His eyes fixed on Drake and glaring daggers at him. We will not submit to wolf training. We are not your kind, and we will not be molded into them. At his words. The clearing went silent, and all eyes slowly turned from my father to Drake, and then to me, a refusal in moments like this could ignite war within seconds. My pulse thundered in my ears. I took a deep breath. Wasn't my father stepping out of line at this point? You don't speak for all of us, father. I said. Finally, I didn't even know how steady my voice was, despite the way my pulse thundered in my ears, his facial features scrunched up in disbelief. You would betray us so easily after what his kind did. Your mother. Father's voice was venomous, searing through the silence. I am not betraying her. I am protecting us. If you
Mira P.O.V Why was he being so kind? Why had he rushed himself to save me? I thought all werewolves were the same, so why this wasn't helping? None of this was helping. Are you really hurt? He asked, examining me, when I remained silent, I'm fine. I said, through gritted teeth, annoyed. And I didn't beg you to save me. The thought that a miscreant like him saved me was a no for me. I pushed him off of me and stood to my feet. Panic struck his being. Careful. I told you they were waiting for the right moment, did I not? Or maybe you planned it with your dog so that I could believe you. I deadpanned. Hurt flashed in his eyes, and I felt a little guilty. I mean, he just saved me back there. But so what I didn'tāhis reply was low, carrying the weight I didn't want to acknowledge. How do I believe? I had barely finished the sentence when we heard a twig break, someone was coming. We snapp
Mira's P.O.V A bundle. Where did he manage to get those roses? Because we're a species that is always cold. We tend to settle in cold places, which are disadvantageous to growing roses. Did he go all the way to find my mother a bunch of roses. Now that I looked at him thoroughly, he looked sleep deprived. His eyes that only sparkled with radiance are now beginning to lose their light. His skin was becoming pale. Dark bags were sitting ugly beneath his eyes. For a brief moment, guilt clawed at my chest, ruthlessly twisting. It was the withered roses his doing too. How long had he been coming here for? I clenched my hands that rested on my lap so tight, my knuckles turned white. My heart can't be swayed because of a simple gesture. He wouldn't have brought the flowers in the first place if my mother was still alive. With that thought, came another wave of fresh pain. So you think
Drake's P.O.V We've unpacked, Alpha. What? Now? The ground made some crunchy sounds as Jack came over to me. I finally blinked, after looking at Mira's back, until she was nowhere in sight. We stay and guard them. That's why we're here, isn't it? But it's been three months, and there has been no sign of the feral wolves anywhere. Don't think Alpha Darius said the truth back there. I mean, why haven't we sighted even one of them. Jack grumbled. My expression turned thoughtful, and then I quickly glanced around to look at them. They were beginning to look weary, not the vibrant soldiers that arrived here with a lively spirit. Mira was surely hell bent on breaking them, but can't she see they're here to safeguard them, and we can't leave? Or it would prove them right about being like the people who had sent them into hiding. I adopted a softer look. I know it's hard, but one more m







