LOGINKEALI woke before the sun.It was instinct.Years of leadership had trained my body to rise before the pack stirred, before responsibility fully settled on my shoulders for the day.For a brief second, as I stared at the ceiling, I forgot where I was.The room felt familiar but… heavier. Less temporary than the hotel suite. No distant ocean waves. No muted city sounds.Then I heard it.Boots against gravel.Low voices exchanging patrol updates downstairs. The subtle shift of guards changing formation.We were back.Silvercrest.The realization settled into my bones, not unwelcome, just firm. The honeymoon softness receded slightly, replaced by awareness. Territory. Security. Structure.I turned my head.Gina was already looking at me.Her eyes were open, warm and clear, and when she saw that I was awake, she smiled. Not the dazzling public smile. The quiet one meant only for me.“Good morning, Alpha,” she murmured teasingly.I smirked. “Good morning, Luna.”She shifted closer, and I
KEAL Keal drove with one hand on the wheel as we journeyed back to Silvercrest the next day. The other occasionally reaching for mine. Every time our fingers intertwined, I felt grounded.We weren’t just returning as Alpha and Luna.We were returning as husband and wife; as best friends.The gates of Silvercrest came into view just before two in the afternoon. The guards straightened immediately, bowing their heads respectfully as the car rolled inside.Home.The main house stood tall and welcoming, sunlight catching the stone walls in warm hues. I inhaled slowly as Keal parked.“I missed it,” I admitted softly.He glanced at me. “I know.”We stepped out of the car. The air here was different; richer, scented with pine and earth. It felt alive.I had barely taken two steps when Keal turned toward me with a look I couldn’t quite decipher.“I want to show you something,” he said.There was that tone again.The one he had used the night before.Curiosity flickered through me. “What?”H
GINAWhen I opened my eyes again, the room was drenched in amber.I realized the light had changed. The sharp brightness of the afternoon had softened into something richer, heavier.Dusk.I shifted slightly, and Keal’s arm tightened around me instinctively, pulling me closer before he even fully stirred.“What time is it?” he murmured against my hair.“Almost evening,” I whispered, glancing toward the clock on the far wall. “We slept longer than I thought.”He hummed, not sounding particularly regretful about it.Neither was I.There was something indulgent about losing track of time like that, about letting the day unfold without structure or urgency. It felt like we were suspended between responsibility and return.By tomorrow at noon, we would leave this cocoon and return to the pack.But not yet.We freshened up quietly, moving around each other with an ease that still amazed me. There were no awkward pauses. If he reached for the sink, I shifted without thinking. If I turned, he
GINAThe rest of that morning unfolded slowly, like the world itself had agreed to move at our pace.After lingering beneath the sheets for about an hour, Keal finally pulled me gently from the bed, his fingers laced with mine as though letting go was no longer natural.“Let’s be productive today.” He said his face breaking into a chuckle.“Productive?” I teased softly. “On our honeymoon?”He leaned closer. “Very productive.”I laughed, swatting lightly at his chest before he guided me toward the bath.The bathroom was spacious, marble floors cool beneath our feet, sunlight filtering through frosted glass panels. The tub was already prepared; large enough for two, steam curling lazily into the air.Slipping into the warm water together felt intimate in a way that wasn’t rushed or urgent. It wasn’t about heat or hunger.It was about stillness.About learning the quiet spaces of each other.I sat between his legs, my back resting against his chest, while his arms wrapped loosely around
GINA I woke slowly, wrapped in warmth.For a moment, I didn’t remember where I was. There was only the softness of sheets beneath my fingertips, the steady rhythm of breathing beside me, and the gentle spill of morning light across the room.Then I turned my head.And I saw him.Keal was lying on his side, facing me, his expression unguarded in sleep. The sharpness he carried as Alpha was gone. The command. The quiet dominance. All of it softened into something almost boyish.Peaceful.His hair fell slightly over his forehead, and one of his hands rested loosely against the pillow between us, close enough that our fingers almost touched.My chest tightened.How did I get so lucky?The question rose unbidden, and I didn’t fight it.I studied his face slowly; the familiar line of his jaw, the faint scar near his temple, the lips that had spoken vows to me only yesterday. Vows that had not been rushed or forced or demanded.A warmth spread through me that had nothing to do with the sunl
DARIUS Mr. Howl sat across from me, rigid, his hands clasped together as though he were holding himself back from saying more than he already had that evening. Mrs. Howl sat beside him, silent but visibly displeased. Ria occupied the armchair near the window, her posture stiff, her expression distant.No one had offered me tea. The atmosphere had changed after I told them all I witnessed during my short stay at Gina's wedding. I ran a hand over my face. “When I watched her today…” My voice faltered unexpectedly. “When I saw the way he looked at her… I realized something.”No one interrupted.“She wasn’t trapped,” I continued. “She wasn’t broken. She wasn’t afraid.”I hesitated, the image replaying in my mind; Gina walking toward Keal with her head high, the entire pack watching her like she belonged there.“She was chosen,” I finished quietly. “And she chose him.”Mrs. Howl’s jaw tightened. She said nothing..The truth was ugly. I, we all had been very bad to Gina..Mr. Howl’s gaze







