GIA O’LEARY The way Alan reacted when the herbs fell… it didn’t match. He got so angry, like he couldn’t control it. But when my herbs went missing, he barely reacted. He was too calm.I wasn’t a fool. I could feel it; something was wrong.Maybe Alan wasn’t as clean as everyone thought.I didn’t know what exactly he was hiding yet, but one thing was clear to me now.I couldn’t let Levi hand over his position to Alan.No matter what, he seems suspicious, and something must be wrong somewhere. That thought stayed in my mind the whole night.Even when I lay down, pulled the blanket over myself, and tried to close my eyes, I couldn’t stop thinking about it.I turned on the bed again and again, my pillow feeling too hard under my head. My heart kept beating fast, almost painfully, like it was warning me.You have to stop it, I told myself. No matter what it takes.I stared at the ceiling for what felt like hours.Sometimes I closed my eyes, hoping to fall asleep, but the moment I did, Al
GIA O’LEARYI stared at her for a long time, trying to understand what she was doing.Something was wrong. I could feel it deep in my gut.“Stand up,” I said firmly.She looked up at me with wide, nervous eyes, but she didn’t argue.She got up slowly, dusting her palms against her dress like it could hide her guilt.I turned sharply and started walking toward my room, not even checking if she was following, even though I already knew she would.Inside my room, I shut the door behind us and turned to face her.“Talk,” I said, crossing my arms over my chest. “What are you up to?”Mia bit her bottom lip hard, her hands twisting together in front of her like she was barely holding herself together.For a second, she didn’t say anything. She just looked at me, her eyes filling up with something that almost looked like regret.“I didn’t mean for it to go this far,” she said, her voice shaking. “I swear.” Her voice cracked. I stared at her, my heart beating harder. I refused to reply to her
GIA O'LEARY I couldn’t stop staring at Mia. It was like my mind needed a few extra seconds to even process what she had said.How could she have taken such a big risk all by herself? What was she even thinking? If someone had caught her in the act of stealing the ring, it wouldn’t have been a simple punishment. It could have been something worse. The image of her locked away like Redrine, or worse, made my stomach twist painfully.I folded my arms tightly across my chest, trying to calm the storm brewing inside me. My heart felt heavy, my mind filled with a thousand questions.Finally, when I couldn’t hold it anymore, I asked, “Why, Mia? Why did you take such a big risk all by yourself?”My voice came out sharper than I meant. I saw her flinch a little, her fingers fiddling with the edge of her dress. She looked down, avoiding my eyes, her voice barely above a whisper.“I knew you thought I stole the herbs…” she said slowly, almost like it hurt her to admit it. “I just… I just wanted
ALAN WOOD. I watched everything. Every sound, every scream. Redrine’s voice still rang in my ears, even though the punishment had ended hours ago. She screamed like something was being pulled out of her soul. At first, I thought I’d feel nothing. After all, I usually warned her not to get caught because if she did, I couldn’t help. Levi, yeah, I know, and everyone thought he was weak, but he’s not. His body might be failing him, but his mind, his judgment, and his control? Still very much alive. Still powerful. And worse, ruthless. I had underestimated him. I wouldn’t do it again.I got dressed quietly. Nothing special, just jeans, a plain dark hoodie, sneakers. I didn’t want eyes on me. Not even the guards. I made sure my scent trail was mixed before I left the territory. Too much was at stake now. One mistake and everything I had been building for years could crumble. I wasn’t afraid, no. But I was no fool. I couldn’t afford to be sloppy, not when things were finally aligning.I
LEVI EDELMANI stood, staring at Alan. The words were stuck in my throat, I don’t even know where to begin.He was watching me with that calm face of his, like he already knew what I wanted to say. Maybe he did. Maybe he thought I would finally do it, give him what he had probably been waiting for. My title.I shifted my weight and looked down for a second. I could hear Gai’s voice in my head again, repeating what she said earlier like it was stitched into my thoughts.“If you give it up now, how will you get it back later?”She wasn’t wrong.
ALAN WOODSI slammed the door hard behind me, the sound echoing through the room like a warning bell. My chest rose and fell fast, each breath sharper than the last. I didn’t even realize how tightly I was clenching my jaw until the pressure started to ache. My fists were balled up at my sides, nails digging into my palms.How dare he?How dare Levi change his mind just like that? So easily. So casually. He stood there looking at me without flinching and told me he was keeping the position. He said he was still Alpha. He told me I could go to the meetings on his behalf?Those words wouldn’t leave my head. They spun around again and again, mocking me. As if I were just some errand boy. As if I hadn’t stood by him every step of the way.I wanted to believe he had his reasons. I really did. But I knew. I knew this wasn’t just about Levi.It was Gia’s She had gotten into his head. I could feel it. I had seen the way she looked at him, how she stood close to him like she belonged beside h
GIA O’LEARYI hadn’t been here since the transfer.The hospital smelled like cold metal and bleach, but it was quiet. Almost too quiet. I walked beside Mia, my arms crossed loosely over my chest as I tried not to think too much about why I was here.Levi may be harsh, but he’s not wicked. He let her be transferred here. A better place. Somewhere, she wouldn’t die from infected wounds. That alone made me pause when Mia suggested we visit.We didn’t speak much as we walked. I didn’t need to ask Mia if she was nervous. I could feel it in the way she stayed closer than usual. I didn’t blame her. Something about Redrine still left a sour taste in my mouth.The moment we stepped into the room, Redrine’s eyes met mine.She gasped. Then she burst into tears like something inside her cracked open.“Please…” she sobbed, her voice broken and weak. “Please help me, my Luna. I didn’t mean for this to happen. Please, I’m sorry.”I didn’t speak right away. I just watched her.Her face was bruised. A
GIA O'LEARYFor a second, the room went completely silent. Maddison didn’t move. Her cheek was red where my palm had landed, and her eyes were wide with disbelief. She hadn’t expected me to slap her.Good.I kept my hand raised just slightly. The look in her eyes was priceless: shock, anger. She blinked once, twice, then her face twisted into something ugly. Her mouth curled, and her jaw tightened.“You little….” Her hand shot up fast, too fast, like instinct, she was going to slap me back. But I caught her wrist mid-air, my grip was firm. Her breath hitched.“Don’t ever try that again,” I said, my voice low and sharp like broken glass. “And don’t you ever use that kind of language with me.” Her arm twitched in my grip, like she wanted to break free, but I held her tight, forcing her to feel how powerless she was in that moment.“Let me go,” she hissed through clenched teeth. “Gia, let go of me right now.”“Look me in the eye,” I said calmly.She didn’t want to. But she did. Slowl
GIA O’LEARYI held my breath as I took the video, keeping my phone low and steady. My hands were shaking, but I didn’t stop until I captured everything: the powder, the way she poured it into the herbs, and how quickly she stirred it like she’d done it a hundred times before.My stomach turned.Why? Why would she do something like that? What exactly was in that powder?I slowly stepped back and pressed the stop button. Then I slipped my phone into my pocket and drew in a deep breath. My heart was pounding in my chest.I needed her to think I hadn’t seen anything. I needed to play this carefully. If she sus
GIA O’LEARYI stared at the message from Tara, my fingers tightening around the phone as if that could stop the anxiety crawling up my chest like vines with thorns.“You haven’t forgotten our deal, have you? Let me know when it’s time.”I hated how those words made my heart skip. Not in a good way. In a way that made my throat feel tight. I pressed my lips together, ignoring the hollow sting behind my ribs.“You okay?” Levi’s voice came out calm, but I could hear the worry beneath it. He glanced at me briefly while keeping one hand on the steering wheel.I turned my face toward the window so he wouldn’t see the panic I was fighting. Then I laughed. Not too loud. Just enough.“Yeah,” I said lightly. “Just a silly text.”His brows pinched together. “From who?”“Don’t worry,” I replied too quickly, too casually. “It’s nothing serious.”He didn’t push further, but I could tell by the way his fingers curled around the wheel that he didn’t believe me.My phone buzzed again. Another message
GIA O'LEARYFor a second, the room went completely silent. Maddison didn’t move. Her cheek was red where my palm had landed, and her eyes were wide with disbelief. She hadn’t expected me to slap her.Good.I kept my hand raised just slightly. The look in her eyes was priceless: shock, anger. She blinked once, twice, then her face twisted into something ugly. Her mouth curled, and her jaw tightened.“You little….” Her hand shot up fast, too fast, like instinct, she was going to slap me back. But I caught her wrist mid-air, my grip was firm. Her breath hitched.“Don’t ever try that again,” I said, my voice low and sharp like broken glass. “And don’t you ever use that kind of language with me.” Her arm twitched in my grip, like she wanted to break free, but I held her tight, forcing her to feel how powerless she was in that moment.“Let me go,” she hissed through clenched teeth. “Gia, let go of me right now.”“Look me in the eye,” I said calmly.She didn’t want to. But she did. Slowl
GIA O’LEARYI hadn’t been here since the transfer.The hospital smelled like cold metal and bleach, but it was quiet. Almost too quiet. I walked beside Mia, my arms crossed loosely over my chest as I tried not to think too much about why I was here.Levi may be harsh, but he’s not wicked. He let her be transferred here. A better place. Somewhere, she wouldn’t die from infected wounds. That alone made me pause when Mia suggested we visit.We didn’t speak much as we walked. I didn’t need to ask Mia if she was nervous. I could feel it in the way she stayed closer than usual. I didn’t blame her. Something about Redrine still left a sour taste in my mouth.The moment we stepped into the room, Redrine’s eyes met mine.She gasped. Then she burst into tears like something inside her cracked open.“Please…” she sobbed, her voice broken and weak. “Please help me, my Luna. I didn’t mean for this to happen. Please, I’m sorry.”I didn’t speak right away. I just watched her.Her face was bruised. A
ALAN WOODSI slammed the door hard behind me, the sound echoing through the room like a warning bell. My chest rose and fell fast, each breath sharper than the last. I didn’t even realize how tightly I was clenching my jaw until the pressure started to ache. My fists were balled up at my sides, nails digging into my palms.How dare he?How dare Levi change his mind just like that? So easily. So casually. He stood there looking at me without flinching and told me he was keeping the position. He said he was still Alpha. He told me I could go to the meetings on his behalf?Those words wouldn’t leave my head. They spun around again and again, mocking me. As if I were just some errand boy. As if I hadn’t stood by him every step of the way.I wanted to believe he had his reasons. I really did. But I knew. I knew this wasn’t just about Levi.It was Gia’s She had gotten into his head. I could feel it. I had seen the way she looked at him, how she stood close to him like she belonged beside h
LEVI EDELMANI stood, staring at Alan. The words were stuck in my throat, I don’t even know where to begin.He was watching me with that calm face of his, like he already knew what I wanted to say. Maybe he did. Maybe he thought I would finally do it, give him what he had probably been waiting for. My title.I shifted my weight and looked down for a second. I could hear Gai’s voice in my head again, repeating what she said earlier like it was stitched into my thoughts.“If you give it up now, how will you get it back later?”She wasn’t wrong.
ALAN WOOD. I watched everything. Every sound, every scream. Redrine’s voice still rang in my ears, even though the punishment had ended hours ago. She screamed like something was being pulled out of her soul. At first, I thought I’d feel nothing. After all, I usually warned her not to get caught because if she did, I couldn’t help. Levi, yeah, I know, and everyone thought he was weak, but he’s not. His body might be failing him, but his mind, his judgment, and his control? Still very much alive. Still powerful. And worse, ruthless. I had underestimated him. I wouldn’t do it again.I got dressed quietly. Nothing special, just jeans, a plain dark hoodie, sneakers. I didn’t want eyes on me. Not even the guards. I made sure my scent trail was mixed before I left the territory. Too much was at stake now. One mistake and everything I had been building for years could crumble. I wasn’t afraid, no. But I was no fool. I couldn’t afford to be sloppy, not when things were finally aligning.I
GIA O'LEARY I couldn’t stop staring at Mia. It was like my mind needed a few extra seconds to even process what she had said.How could she have taken such a big risk all by herself? What was she even thinking? If someone had caught her in the act of stealing the ring, it wouldn’t have been a simple punishment. It could have been something worse. The image of her locked away like Redrine, or worse, made my stomach twist painfully.I folded my arms tightly across my chest, trying to calm the storm brewing inside me. My heart felt heavy, my mind filled with a thousand questions.Finally, when I couldn’t hold it anymore, I asked, “Why, Mia? Why did you take such a big risk all by yourself?”My voice came out sharper than I meant. I saw her flinch a little, her fingers fiddling with the edge of her dress. She looked down, avoiding my eyes, her voice barely above a whisper.“I knew you thought I stole the herbs…” she said slowly, almost like it hurt her to admit it. “I just… I just wanted
GIA O’LEARYI stared at her for a long time, trying to understand what she was doing.Something was wrong. I could feel it deep in my gut.“Stand up,” I said firmly.She looked up at me with wide, nervous eyes, but she didn’t argue.She got up slowly, dusting her palms against her dress like it could hide her guilt.I turned sharply and started walking toward my room, not even checking if she was following, even though I already knew she would.Inside my room, I shut the door behind us and turned to face her.“Talk,” I said, crossing my arms over my chest. “What are you up to?”Mia bit her bottom lip hard, her hands twisting together in front of her like she was barely holding herself together.For a second, she didn’t say anything. She just looked at me, her eyes filling up with something that almost looked like regret.“I didn’t mean for it to go this far,” she said, her voice shaking. “I swear.” Her voice cracked. I stared at her, my heart beating harder. I refused to reply to her