MasukDRAKE POVI stood before the mirror and adjusted the formal jacket of my Alpha uniform. The dark fabric was embroidered with silver thread, heavy with tradition and duty. Tonight, I had to wear the mantle perfectly. A knock came at my chamber door. “It is Lucas.”“Enter.” He walked in, already dressed in his formal security uniform. He looked sharp and serious. He closed the door and leaned against it, watching me.“Andre came to see me this morning,” Lucas began, as he went straight to the point. “He told me about your discussion last night.”I did not turn from the mirror. “Did he?”“Yeah. He said you went to his room last night, and basically ripped his head off. You called him a liability. Told him he was betraying the pack.” Lucas said carefully. “That was harsh Drake. Even for you. Why did you react like that?”I finally turned to face him. “Because I could not hold myself back,” I said tightly. “It was too annoying. Too…stupid. He has everything. The one thing I….” Then I sto
The hotel room was quiet, but Sharon was not. She paced from the window to the bed and back again, her steps sharp on the thin carpet. Her hands twisted together nervously.“It is tomorrow,” she whispered to the empty room tightly. “The gala is tomorrow. Everyone will be there. He will be there. It is a perfect chance. We have to make a move. We can not just wait.”She stopped and stared at her reflection in the dark window. Her eyes looked black and restless. Twelve years of planning, of positioning herself, gone in one morning. Thrown out like a garbage. Drake’s cold and clear voice echoed in her memory….’You are banished.’“Not for long,” she hissed at her reflection. “Not forever.”Someone knocked suddenly at the door.Sharon jumped and her heart leaped to her throat. She smoothed her plain dress and walked to the door, and then peeped through the peep hole.Baron stood in the hallway, looking calm and out of place in his expensive coat.She unlocked the door and opened it. “It is
LILLIAN POVI found Salome and Lydia in the mansion’s sitting room. Dresses, shoes and jewelry were spread everywhere. They were laughing as they held up different options for tomorrow’s gala.“Lillian! Perfect timing,” Lydia chirped as she held up a silver shoe in each hand. “Which says ‘celebrating our survival’ more? Silver or gold?”I tried to smile but it came out strained. Salome’s smile faded instantly and she quickly put down the dress she was holding. “What is wrong? How did the fancy date go?”The casual caring question broke the dam loose and the words came out before I could stop them. “It was awful. He is hiding something. I think….I think Andre was with another she-wolf.”The room went completely silent. Lydia dropped the shoes with a soft thud.“Lillian,” Salome said in a gentle but firm tone. “That is a huge thing to say. Are you sure?”“Tell us everything,” Lydia urged as she pulled me down to sit between them.I told them. About the awkward car ride. How he could no
ANDRE POVThe drive back to the pack house felt longer than the drive to the mansion. My hands were still shaky on the wheel. The dinner replayed in my head in a loop that refused to stop. I love you, Lillian.I love you too, Andre.Her words were sweet, but her eyes…they were full questions that I could not answer. She knew something was wrong. She had felt the bond ache. She was smart. How long until she put the pieces together?” I parked the car and walked into the silent pack house inna daze. Most lights were off. It was late.I did not go straight to my chambers. I just stood in the grand hallway and bowed my head, then I closed my eyes and sent a desperate, silent prayer to the night.Moon Goddess, hear me. Please. Let her not suspect. Let her believe the lies. Let the bond have been weak, or confused. Let her trust me, just this once, let my shame stay hidden. For my sake. Do not let my mistake hurt her.The prayer felt empty. The Moon Goddess blessed true bonds and honest h
LILLIAN POVI smoothed my dress for the tenth time nervously as the car pulled up to the Glass House. The restaurant was all glittering windows and soft light. It was beautiful. It should have been perfect.But my stomach was filled with nerves and the ghost of that bond ache still whispered continuously in my chest.Andre came around and opened my car door. His had a wide smile on his face, but it did not reach his eyes. “Ready?” he asked in a cheery way.“Ready,” I said and took his outstretched hand.He held my hand tightly, almost tightly, as we walked inside. The host led us to a private table by a huge window over looking the city. It was the best table in the place.“This is….amazing, Andre,” I said, as I sat down. “Only the best for you,” he said quickly and picked up the menu but did not look at it. His eyes darted around the room as he avoided mine. A waiter brought water and Andre immediately jumped into action. “Still or sparkling for you, love? They have a great sparkli
DRAKE POVBeta Ben, General Voss, and I were in the war room. We were going over the final security checks for the gala tomorrow. Papers and maps were everywhere.“The last of the guest confirmations came in an hour ago,” Beta Ben said as he checked the list. “We have three hundred and forty two confirmed guests. All names checked against our allied pack list.”General Voss, who is a serious man with a scar across his chin, pointed at a map of the pack house grounds. “My men are in position at all outer points. No one enters the perimeter without being seen.”I nodded. “Good. What about staff? The caterers. The musicians?”“All vetted,” Ben assured me. “Every single person working tomorrow has been checked. We have guards assigned to watch the kitchens and service entrances.”The door opened and Lucas walked in and nodded at us. “Perimeter sweep is complete. All clear.”General Voss immediately stood straight and saluted. “Head of security.”Lucas waved off the salute casually. “At ea







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