LOGINIrene’s Point of View“What does it mean to be the alpha’s woman?”The question left my mouth before I could stop it.Curiosity won.Over fear.Over pride.Arnold wouldn’t answer me.So I found someone who would.“You don’t know?” the woman asked, clearly surprised.Then she paused.Like she remembered where I came from.“Oh… forgive my tone.”I waved it off.“It’s fine. Please, just tell me.”“This must be confusing for you,” she said gently. “We are the only Lycan pack. We live apart from the others. Our ways… aren’t the same.”“I noticed,” I said quietly.I didn’t want a long explanation.But I let her continue.“In your kind’s tradition,” she said, “the Moon Goddess chooses your mate. A bond forms. It strengthens your connection. And if one dies… the other may be given a second chance.”I nodded.“That’s true.”That was the only way I knew.“But for us,” she continued, “it’s different. We choose our partner ourselves. And once we choose… it’s for life.”She paused.Then added soft
Irene’s Point of ViewI shouldn’t have come this far.The thought hit me too late.By the time I realized it, the forest had already swallowed me whole.I turned back.The sound of the waterfall guided me, loud, steady, impossible to miss. It echoed through the trees like it was calling me home.When I reached the cave, no one was there.Good.Arnold wasn’t here.For once.I stepped inside without thinking twice.I didn’t know how long I stayed.At some point, I just… stopped.Stopped thinking.Stopped fighting.I fell asleep before I even realized it.My body gave up first.Then my mind followed.I didn’t want to think about him.About what happened.About how easily I lost control.All I wanted was silence.Was that too much to ask?So I stayed there.In the same cave he showed me.The same place he laughed.Teased.Played it off like it meant nothing.It was fun for him.For me,it wasn’t.I knew I shouldn’t have let it happen.But I did.And he laughed.Of course he did.“Mm… it’s
Irene’s Point of View The moment he pulled away…I felt it.Not relief.Not anger.Something worse.Like I had just lost something I didn’t even understand.Then I saw it.That smirk.Small.Satisfied.“Does that mean I have your permission?” he asked.Just like that,Everything snapped back into place.My chest tightened.Heat rushed to my face, sharp and unforgiving.I stepped back, my stomach twisting.Of course.Of course he would turn it into that.I had let him get close.Let him take control.And now he stood there like he had won something.Like I was just another game.I hated it.Hated him.But more than that,I hated myself for not stopping it.For wanting it.For responding.I swallowed hard, my throat burning.No.I couldn’t stay here.Not like this.Not with him looking at me like that.I turned and ran.Straight for the cave entrance.No thinking.No hesitation.Just distance.I shifted mid-step, my body moving on instinct. Bones cracked, muscles stretched, and in the
Irene’s Point of View He was taking me somewhere he refused to explain.And the longer he stayed quiet… the more it felt like I wasn’t supposed to know.“Where are you taking me?” I asked again, the frustration already sitting on my tongue.I had asked too many times.Enough that he should have answered by now.“Don’t you get tired of asking the same thing?” Arnold said, glancing at me like he already knew exactly how irritated I was.“Yes, I do,” I shot back. “That’s why I want an answer. If you know where we’re going, just say it.”He laughed.Actually laughed.Like this was entertaining for him.“Try guessing,” he said. “You might get it right.”I stopped walking for half a second, then caught up again when he tugged my hand forward.“I don’t want to guess,” I muttered. “I want you to tell me.”“But where’s the fun in that?”I frowned, crossing my arms briefly before letting them drop again.“I don’t think this is fun at all.”The trees thickened around us, shadows stretching long
Irene felt it before she fully understood it.The shift.The silence.All attention moved to Arnold,And then to her.It hit all at once.Too many eyes.Too much weight.For a second, her body betrayed her. Her shoulders stiffened, her breath caught, and her pulse spiked hard against her ribs.This wasn’t normal.This wasn’t just breakfast.Something was about to happen.She wanted to stop him.Sit him down.End this before it started.But she didn’t move.She couldn’t.Not here.Not in front of all of them.Luna Lorraine’s voice echoed faintly in her mind.Stand straight.Stay composed.Never let them see you break.Irene inhaled slowly.Then she lifted her chin.Her posture straightened, steady and controlled, even as her heart refused to calm.“I will not take much of your time,” Arnold began, his voice carrying easily across the hall. “I won’t let your food grow cold.”Irene almost scoffed.He could have skipped this entirely.But she said nothing.Because now,She wanted to know.
Irene knew something was wrong the moment she stepped outside.Not danger.Something quieter.Something that didn’t sit right.She slowed, her eyes lifting, and then she froze.This wasn’t a pack house.It was a castle.Tall towers rose into the sky. Thick stone walls stretched endlessly, built from dark rock that looked impossible to break. Everything about it felt deliberate. Controlled. Untouchable.Too much.Who would live in a place like this?Irene moved forward slowly, her gaze tracing the structure. The stone looked ancient, yet unshaken. Strong enough to outlive the people inside it.It said something without words.Power.A quiet thought settled in her chest.Werewolves and lycans.Both shifters.But not the same.Werewolves believed in fate. In bonds they couldn’t escape.Lycans chose.And once they chose… they didn’t turn back.Irene swallowed.She didn’t know which one was more dangerous.The cold wind brushed against her skin, sharp enough to pull her out of her thoughts







