Mag-log in~Celina~I stared at the glowing moonstone that illuminated the entire altar chamber in silver light with disbelief. My hand was still pressed against Derek’s. And the sacred moonstone was still reacting to us.Slowly, I turned toward the priestess. She was watching quietly, that same knowing smile lingering on her face as though none of this surprised her in the slightest.“Does this…” I said before clearing my throat. "Does this mean what I think it means?”The priestess tilted her head gently.“Yes. It does.”I stared at her blankly. No, this couldn’t make sense. Because if this was true, then everything I thought I knew about my life was wrong.“How?” I asked, my voice barely above a whisper. “How could this happen?”The priestess just stared at me with that serene smile.“I was Logan’s mate!” The words felt wrong somehow even if it was once the truth.“The bond you shared with Logan was real,” the priestess explained softly. “But it was never the bond intended by fate.”I shook m
~Derek~I have walked into battles without flinching. I have faced rogue Alphas and even faced an ancient deity. And yet somehow, walking beside Celina toward the inner altar of the Moon Goddess temple made me more nervous than any of those things combined. My heart was pounding so loudly that I was sure even Celina who was beside me could hear it. How ridiculous!Trying to distract myself, I looked around as we walked. Ancient carvings lined the walls of the temple, depicting wolves bowing beneath the moon, mates standing hand in hand before glowing altars, and blessings granted by the goddess herself.I turned to see Celina walking beside me quietly, her face looking just as tense as mine even though I hadn’t even mentioned the real purpose of this temple visit to her yet. In contrast, the priestess walked calmly ahead of us. After what felt like ages, we finally reached the inner sanctum. The moment I stepped inside, something inside me settled instantly. The nervousness didn’t di
~Celina~The journey to the Moon Goddess temple lasted hours and by the time we reached, it was already late evening. Through the car window, I looked out at the temple grounds. Tall trees surrounded the grounds, their leaves shimmering softly beneath the evening light. White stone paths wound between the gardens, leading to the temple. Even the air felt fresher, making me feel calmer than I had felt in a long while.Beside me, Fiona pressed her face dramatically against the car window.“Oh wow,” she breathed. “Okay, I take back every complaint I made during the trip.”Derek looked deeply unimpressed from the seat ahead.“Hours of complaint gone in a minute?”“What? I don't even have the right to complain now?”Derek rolled his eyes and Fiona ignored him completely. I smiled at their interaction and stepped out once the car stopped near the main courtyard. The moment my feet touched the ground, a strange feeling settled over me. Like something invisible had noticed our arrival. I unco
Chapter One Hundred Twenty-Seven~Derek~Once the immediate danger from kidnappings and rituals had passed, I had free time. That meant my thoughts kept running back to Celina. It had become almost ridiculous that one moment I would be reviewing reports and the next, I would suddenly remember the way she laughed in the training grounds. I would walk through the palace and then realise that my eyes were searching for her presence without meaning to. Even when I managed to sleep, she still found her way into my mind somehow. My mind kept replaying the way she kept trying to put everyone else before herself, the way she looked at me during the ritual chamber right before I ran toward the heptagram, like she was terrified for me. The memory alone tightened something inside my chest. Because the more I thought about it, the more it became impossible to ignore what Elder Alexander had said about my family’s curse. Generations of males in my family line were unable to recognize their true m
~Celina~The royal library had become my sanctuary ever since the night we had escaped from the ritual grounds. Not because I particularly loved books. Well maybe a little but mostly because Logan hated them with a passion. The first time he stepped into the library while following me, he had stiffened almost immediately before muttering something about the smell of books haunting him in nightmares and leaving dramatically. Since then, I fully embraced the opportunity to have some peace without him breathing down on me. I walked slowly between the shelves, trailing my fingers across old leather bindings as I enjoyed the smell of the books that Logan seemed to hate. Sunlight streamed through the windows, painting golden patterns across the wooden floor. Truly calming…My thoughts kept running back to Logan and I sighed softly before leaning against one of the shelves. Honestly, I preferred the older Logan to this clingy version. At least the old version left me alone most of the time.
~Derek~A few days had passed since we escaped the ruined ritual grounds after facing off with an ancient deity and living to tell the tale. And life had resumed as if something catastrophic had not almost happened beneath our feet. But we all knew what had happened and it had left a mark in our souls.I sat in my office, leaning back against my chair as James stood across from me with a report in hand."The rescued girls are all doing well," he said. "Most of them have already returned to their families."I nodded slowly in response. "Any complications?" I asked. Even though they had all come out alive, I knew it wouldn't be as easy as just going back to normal lives. “Yes. Most of them have nightmares and panic episodes in some cases." His expression softened slightly. "Considering what happened, it is not surprising."I stayed silent as I remembered their faces when we found them. The fear, the exhaustion and the hopelessness. Even after being rescued, that kind of thing didn't s







