Mag-log in~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
~Derek~The moment Amanda explained what needed to be done, I made my move. There was no time for hesitation or second thoughts. The dagger sliced across my palm cleanly, pain flaring sharply before warm blood spilled down my hand. And then I ran straight toward the center of the ritual where the heptagram was carved into the ground.The deity saw what I was trying to do instantly and her black eyes widened.“No!” She roared, her voice reverberating with ancient power and the entire chamber exploded with pressure. Dark power surged outward violently, cracking the stone beneath my feet as shadows lashed toward me from every direction. But I still kept moving. I had to reach the center no matter what. Before her power could touch me, I leapt and for one moment, I believed I had made it. Through my peripheral vision, I saw the deity who wore Clara’s face raise her hand. And my body stopped midair. It felt like the world itself had frozen around me. Invisible force wrapped around my chest
~Celina~The entire chamber had gone deathly silent after Antoinette’s head rolled across the ritual floor.The deity wearing Clara’s body merely watched it happen with mild boredom, as if killing the very woman who had worshipped and summoned it was no more significant than brushing dirt off its clothes. And somehow that terrified me more than rage would have. Because rage was human. But this thing? It didn’t even hate us enough to be cruel. It simply didn’t care.The shadows above the chamber pulsed slowly, spreading wider across the ceiling like veins infecting flesh. The ritual markings beneath us flickered erratically now, unstable energy surging through the heptagon in uneven bursts.And Clara or whatever now controlled her body looked mildly inconvenienced. Her black eyes swept across the room lazily before settling on Logan.“Interesting,” she murmured and the sound of her voice made my skin crawl. It simply felt wrong somehow. Like hearing words spoken underwater.“You carry
~Celina~It has been a few days since the night I rejected Logan, and everything has been relatively quiet since then. As I stood staring out through my room window, my mind wandered back to that moment when I was accepted as a member of the Royal Pack. The moment I felt the link form between us, I
~Logan~Even though I was not fond of the idea of having a witch in my territory, the offer to get Celina back home was too tempting to pass. So without hesitation, I agreed to Clara’s plan of using the witch to control Celina using her blood running in Clara’s veins. It had already been a few week
~Celina~Seeing the enthusiasm in Amanda’s eyes, I knew that she was up to something mischievous again. “What is it?” I asked curiously.“A potion to erase your pain during the ritual!” She announced, and I stared at her. Uh. I was expecting something dramatic, but that was it? I guess I should ju
~Celina ~I stared at James, my mind full of confusion. Derek had been so busy these days that I hadn’t even gotten a glimpse of him. Now that I knew the Alpha Summit was coming, I knew he was probably dealing with its preparations. After all, a meeting where all sorts of Alphas, probably even those







