Each day, a petite she-wolf with short brown hair would silently bring Jackie her meals. Jackie had tried to strike up a conversation with her more than once, but the girl always ignored her, never offering even a single word. Eventually, Jackie stopped trying.
This morning, however, it wasn’t the quiet girl who entered her tent—it was Bianca, carrying a breakfast tray. Jackie’s brows rose, her question unspoken, but Bianca caught it instantly. "She’s gone," Bianca said flatly. "Her master tore her apart because she made the wrong tea." Jackie’s stomach twisted, her blood turning cold. She wasn’t innocent in her past life—she had seen and done things she wasn’t proud of—but killing someone over tea? That was a level of cruelty she couldn’t fathom. "There are wolves here who are beyond saving," Bianca continued, her tone hard. "Sadists who live for pain. What else would you expect from a pack of outlaws? Some were banished fFrom the shadows of the night in the rogue camp, a pair of brown eyes watched Bianca closely. Clarissa was astonished that the arrogant alpha’s daughter still hadn’t noticed she was being followed. She observed Bianca moving around the camp, using the excuse of offering medical help to whisper to the she-wolves. Some of them listened with eyes shining in hope, while others looked terrified. But one thing was clear—Bianca was plotting something. “I’ll get to the bottom of this,” Clarissa muttered under her breath. “And then I’ll be rewarded by my master.” A smirk tugged at her lips, excitement flashing in her gaze. This was the least she could do to please her master, her idol, her future mate. Bianca, too focused on her mission, didn’t notice the shadow trailing her through the night. She was determined to approach as many women as she could, convincing them to join the escape plan. She and Jackie had already marked the safest and
Darina immediately shared her findings with Reed. She decided to inform Kai only once she had gathered more solid proof. Even though he loved her, he still had a soft spot for Julie. Reed wasn’t surprised. “Julie was too sweet to be true. And her story was too fishy. Did you see what was in the bag?” She shook her head. “Unfortunately, no. I was too far away to hear the conversation without exposing myself.” “I’ll put a team to shadow her. Soon we’ll discover more,” Reed assured. Darina nodded. She paused, hesitating before asking, “Can you please not tell Kai yet? I want to gather more information before letting him know.” “As you wish, Luna,” Reed replied. He was about to add something more when his eyes suddenly clouded—he was receiving a mindlink. “Shit,” he cursed. “Wolfsbane was stolen from the clinic.” “Julie,” Darina mumbled. “Now I know
Darina and Kai wanted to spend the whole day wrapped in each other’s embrace, but duty was calling both of them. Darina winked at Kai as she left the room. “Let’s save some fun for later.” She had promised to help Camilla in the clinic, but she still had an hour before she needed to go. Darina went to her study and sat at her table, lost in thought. She was alone, as Amber and Cassandra had gone to the orphanage to double-check that all required supplies had been delivered and to see if anything else was needed. Drumming her fingers on the table, Darina searched for any clue that could help her uncover Julie’s true intentions. She knew Julie was rotten to the core, but she needed solid proof before accusing her of anything. The whole story about being kidnapped by rogues and her sudden escape sounded far from believable. She absentmindedly twirled a lock of hair around her finger, trying to brainstorm. If Julie’s
In Kai's study, Julie was frantically going through his documents. She couldn’t make copies, it would be far too suspicious if anyone saw her leaving Kai's office with a stack of papers—so she was memorizing everything instead: patrol allocations and schedules, allied packs ready to send reinforcements in case of war, upcoming events and meetings… anything that could prove useful.She cursed under her breath. Using magic would make this so much easier, but she had to keep her powers blocked. Maya, or any other witch sent by the council, could easily trace her magic, and she couldn’t risk exposing herself.Nothing was going quite as she had expected. Julie thought Kai would once again eat from her hand like before, but he was too lost in his new mate. No matter what she tried, she couldn’t drive a wedge between them. The kiss was supposed to create cracks and chaos—give her time to slip into his study unnoticed—but instead, it only seemed to push him closer to Darin
Darina stood under the cascade of warm water, her forehead pressed against the cold tiles, tears blending with the shower spray. The image of Kai and Julie kissing burned behind her eyelids. Her chest ached as if someone had ripped their bond apart, thread by thread.She didn’t even hear the door open.Kai’s voice, low and urgent, cut through the sound of the water.“Darina.”She flinched, spinning around. He stood at the entrance of the shower, still in his clothes, his eyes burning with desperation and guilt.“Get out,” she said coldly, turning away. “Go back to her. To your first love, your first kiss, your first everything.” Her voice cracked as the words left her mouth.In two steps, he was inside the shower, fully dressed, water soaking through his clothes. He caught her wrist and turned her to face him.“Don’t say that,” he growled softly, his thumb brushing away her tears. “Julie is my past. Do you hear me? You are my
While Jackie was praying to the Moon Goddess, Julie was already in her guest room, praying to Hecate to help her with her mission. She slipped into a long chiffon baby-blue dress that made her look even more innocent, purposely skipping a shower to keep Kai's scent on her skin. After applying light, natural makeup, she winked at her reflection and, proud of her appearance, headed to breakfast. All the high-ranking members were already there. Darina looked terrible, probably due to a sleepless night, and her fork hit the plate with a sharp clang the moment she caught Kai's scent on Julie. Julie offered an angelic smile to everyone. “Good morning,” she said sweetly, adding with playful innocence, “When you’re next to your mate, all mornings are good.” “Mother,” she addressed the queen, then quickly corrected herself, “I’m sorry, Your Majesty. Old habits… Before, you allowed me to call you ‘mother,’ as I’ve never had my own.”