LOGINThe training outfit was fitted—a little too fitted if you asked me. The top was a sleek black
long-sleeved spandex that clung to my frame like a second skin, exposing every curve. My
breasts were practically gift-wrapped, and the leggings didn’t help either. They were just as tight,
high-waisted, and black.
I glanced at the mirror and nearly scowled. Great. I looked like a fitness influencer prepping for
battle. At least I wasn’t flat in the front or the back, or this would’ve been a whole new level of
humiliation.
Something told me Darius intentionally picked this dress. The bastard!
I slipped on the white sneakers left at the edge of the bed and tied my hair into a high ponytail.
Taking a deep breath, I opened the door.
Kellan stood leaning against the wall directly opposite, arms crossed and picking at his nails like
he had all the time in the world.
His eyes flicked up as he registered me—and then traveled down slowly, appraising every inch
of the ensemble. A grin twitched at the corner of his lips.
“At least we got the outfit right.”
I shot him a look and tugged at the hem of the top, trying to stretch it lower.
“Half right,” he added with a chuckle, pushing off the wall. “Come on. Follow me.”
We moved through the hallways in silence, the sound of our footsteps muffled by plush rugs. As
we descended the staircase, I began to take in more of the mansion. Marble floors. Polished
railings. Chandeliers that probably cost more than my childhood home.
This place was absurdly rich.
He probably got all the money from the packs he'd conquered.
Every staff member we passed bowed slightly to Kellan. Some offered him respectful nods.
Others cast curious glances in my direction before quickly looking away making me feel less
comfortable.
The stupid outfit!
I stayed close behind him, my shoulders tense and my eyes scanning
everything—half-expecting Darius to appear at any moment like some nightmare shadow.
Kellan led me through a pair of tall double doors and into a spacious kitchen that looked like
something out of a luxury lifestyle magazine.
A woman in a white apron greeted us with a warm smile and handed Kellan a travel mug
"His coffee. Two sugars. No cream.”
Kellan turned to me and offered the cup. “Here. Make sure you don’t spill it. Alpha Darius hates
messes. Especially in the morning.”
I took the mug carefully, trying not to roll my eyes.
“Why can’t you take it?” I muttered.
He gave me a pointed look. “Because you're his mate, remember? You’re supposed to serve
him now.”
My stomach twisted, but I said nothing.
I can't continue like this! That stupid Alpha is practically turning me into his slave.
And the worst part? The day hadn’t even started yet. I internally groaned as I let Kellan lead me
to his office. Thankfully, Alpha Darius wasn't there yet.
I released a breath of relief.
Carefully, I placed the mug on the table, careful not to spill any on the table that seemed to be
full of papers.
Kellan led me outside of the pack, as we began the tour. The packed house was big. Really big.
And more people were living there than I imagined and the worst thing¿ They wouldn't stop
staring.
I had finally had enough when two guards stopped to whistle as I walked past with Kellan.
I stomped my feet on the floor and folded my hands, causing Kellan to stop ahead of me.
"What is it?" Why did you
stop?
"I'm not doing this anymore. I'm not going to walk around the pack looking like a well-fed cow for
slaughter." I said firmly. "You and Darius are messing with me intentionally. Make me dress up
this way to show the members of your pack what a trophy you've acquired right? Now even your
guards are making funny sounds and having stupid thoughts about me."
He tilted his head to the left as the grin slowly fell from his face. "Which guards?" He asked.
"The two that just passed us," I said, pointing at the guards.
Daniel! Alvin!" He called out, his usual playful self slipping away. The two guards turned to face
their Beta. "Come over here."
The two guards ran and stopped in front of him, their heads bent slightly as they answered their
Beta. "I heard you two seem to find your Luna appetizing." I saw their throats bubble as they
raised their head to look at me and brought them back to the ground.
"No, Beta. We would never." One of them said, his voice quivering with fear.
"So you call your Luna a liar?" They both raise their heads in fear and I almost feel bad for
telling Kellan about them.
"For your impudence, I want you two to report yourselves first to Gamma Griffin. After that, I
want you two to give yourselves 50 lashes each—"
"Kellan, it's fine. I say but he only smiles at me and turns back to face the
men.
"Right after that, I want you two on patrol for the rest of the week. Is that understood?" They
both nodded and walked off.
That was too much." I yelled at him but he only gave me his
signature smile and walked on.
"Hurry up Luna, you have someone waiting for you." He called over his shoulder.
I wanted to scream! To bite something or punch something but I settled for counting to ten and
following him as he led me deep into the woods.
Waiting for us was a man in his late forties wearing a combat suit and leather boots. He had a
scar over his right eye. One eye was a milky white, while his other eye was grey. His grey hair was
neatly combed to the back and he stood like someone from the military.
"This," Kellan said as we approached him, " is Gamma Griffin. He'll be in charge of your
training."
I was beyond shocked.
"I'll be undergoing military training as well? What am I exactly? A soon-to-be slave warrior?"
"Nope, you're a soon-to-be unstoppable Luna," Kellan said as he began to walk away. "Have
fun!"
I turned to face him, looking at him from head to toe once again.
"Have you had any military experience?" He asked, his voice thick and croak.
"Why am I being trained in the middle of the woods?" I asked, curious. There were other better
places I possibly could train in.
"So others won't see your shortcomings. No one will hear you beg here." I didn't know if that was
supposed to calm me or scare me but I did know something, though.
Something important.
"Can I at least ease myself before we continue?" I asked in my most sincere voice.
The question left him unstable because his stoic expression changed to something a little
embarrassed. "Ah...sure. You can go deeper into the woods. I'll wait here." He said, scratching
the back of his neck.
I smiled nicely at him and began walking deeper into the woods. My pace slowly increased as I
moved deeper. Before I knew, I was sprinting.
Close to the pack's borders, right? Let's see how close.
The pack grounds were already on edge when the sky changed.It happened with no warning….one moment the late evening light was fading normally, and the next a thick, heavy pulse rolled across the sky like a silent heartbeat. Everyone froze. A red haze bled across the moon, spreading fast, painting the entire forest in a sick, haunting glow.That wasn’t normal.That wasn’t scheduled.And it definitely wasn’t safe.Inside the pack house, Ember still felt the strange tremors crawling under her skin. Her body had been restless since morning, like something inside her was pacing. Madeline, locked in her room under strict supervision, sensed it too. She had tried calling for Ember repeatedly…. but Kellan wouldn’t let them meet.Now, as the light outside shifted fully into red, Madeline’s breath hitched.“No… no, no…this isn’t time,” she whispered, panic rising. She rushed for the door, banging hard. “Let me out! Ember is in danger…Velise says she’s not ready…”Kellan blocked the door instan
The Blood Moon rose fully by the time the pack gathered in the center field. Its red light spread across the ground like spilled wine, thick and heavy, making everything feel colder than usual. Ember stood beside Darius, watching the pack shift uneasily. No one spoke loudly. No one laughed. It felt like everyone was waiting for something to snap.The first scream came from the west side.A young pack member … barely eighteen..fell to his knees, his body convulsing. Ember rushed forward, but Darius caught her arm.“Wait.”The boy’s bones didn’t shift into wolf form. They twisted… halfway. His body tightened, and his back arched as if something inside him was fighting itself. His claws pushed out but his skin didn’t change. His eyes glowed gold, then dimmed, then brightened again. It was as if his wolf had tried to come out but got stuck somewhere between worlds.He cried out again.“Alpha… I can’t shift! It’s hurting.. it’s….something’s wrong!”More voices rose behind them.Then anoth
Madeline called for Ember again before the sun even reached its highest point.Kellan found Ember in the hallway outside the clinic and sighed quietly before speaking.“She’s asking for you,” he said. “Again.”Ember’s heart sank. “How bad is she?”“She’s awake. Calm. Clear. But…”He ran a hand over his face. “She keeps repeating your name like she’s trying to grab something slipping through her fingers.”Ember stepped toward the stairway. “Then let me see her.”Kellan blocked her path gently.“You know I can’t,” he said. “Darius said..”“Darius is being overprotective,” Ember muttered. “And it’s getting out of hand.”Kellan agreed. He only looked tired.“You didn’t see his face this morning,” he said. “He’s scared. And when Darius is scared… he locks everything down.”Ember clenched her jaw but didn’t fight him.She knew pushing would cause a scene, and right now the pack didn’t need more tension.“Tell Madeline I’ll come when I can,” Ember said softly.Kellan gave a sympathetic nod,
The mansion felt too quiet when Ember and Ezekiel stepped inside. The guards bowed lightly, but their eyes stayed alert. Everyone had been on edge since the night Tessa screamed, and the air still carried the weight of it.Ezekiel walked Ember all the way to the main hall before stopping.“You should go in first,” he said.“Why?” Ember asked.“Because Darius has been pacing like someone who hasn’t slept in days,” Ezekiel replied. “And if he sees me beside you again… I don’t want trouble.”Ember felt her chest tighten.“I’ll talk to him,” she murmured.Ezekiel nodded once, stepped back, and disappeared down the hallway.Ember pushed open the door to the sitting room.Darius was there.His hands were on the back of a chair, his muscles tight, his eyes fixed on the entrance like he’d been staring at it for the past hour.The moment she stepped in, his whole body shifted….relief first, then something deeper, something heavier.“You were gone too long,” he said.“I was at the clinic,” Embe
The next morning, Ember walked into the infirmary quietly. She didn’t want to startle Tessa or wake her if she was still resting, but as soon as Ember stepped inside, she saw Tessa sitting up on the bed, folding the sheets as if preparing to leave.“Tessa?” Ember whispered.Tessa lifted her head. She looked tired, but more present, more like herself than she had in weeks.“Good morning,” Tessa said with a small smile. “Don’t look at me like that. I’m fine.”“You collapsed last night,” Ember reminded her gently. “You scared everyone.”Tessa’s smile faded a little. “I know. And I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to scream like that.”Ember stepped closer. “You didn’t just scream. You asked everyone to leave you alone. Who were you talking to?”Tessa blinked as if trying to search her memory. “I… don’t remember clearly. Everything was dark. It felt like I wasn’t fully here. Like something else was pushing through.” She let out a slow breath. “But I don’t want to sit here feeling useless.”“Tessa—”
The healers rushed Tessa into the room in the mansions, but the echo of her scream still clung to the halls long after she was gone. Ember stood frozen in the corridor, her hands trembling, her breath uneven. Darius stayed at her side like a shadow, completely refusing to move away.“Ember… hey.” His voice was low, careful, like he feared she might shatter if he spoke too loud. “Look at me.”She did. Slowly.And what she saw in his eyes made her chest tighten.Fear.Real fear.“I’ve seen visions,” Ember whispered, “but I’ve never seen someone go through that because of me.”“This isn’t your fault,” Darius said immediately.But she didn’t believe it.Not fully.Not anymore.Ezekiel leaned against the wall a few feet away, arms crossed, eyes dark with something Ember didn’t recognize — something heavier than fear, softer than anger.Kellan paced in a tight line, muttering under his breath as the guards cleared the hallway.Finally, Darius took Ember’s hand … not gently, not cautiously,







