❀° ┄───────╮ Sylphiette ╰───────┄ °❀ “Hurry up, Sylph! Those men aren’t going to serve themselves!” The crude baritone of the rogue housekeeper blistered my ears for the umth time tonight. With each moment that passed by, the weight of her crude treatment fell heavier on me. It was already past midnight. I was exhausted, sweaty and damn hungry. I was already starting to see double but Gulia didn’t give a damn. All she wanted from me was to work, work and work so much that I passed out and I did sometimes. Ever since my banishment—four years ago—from my pack, my life had slowly spiraled into a pit of hardship. I was once a Luna. A respected figure and the fated mate to the Alpha of my pack. I was happy and loved and lived my life in so much bliss, it was almost a fairytale. But everything came crashing down after that incident, that night and then I’d ended up here, at the crudest, barbarous rogue pack in the land, the Dark Crescent pack. I’d worked to earn my keep in this ru
❀° ┄───────╮ Sylphiette ╰───────┄ °❀ “I could have given you everything you ever dreamed of,” he staggered into my bedroom, slowly, his footsteps quiet as he stalked towards me. I moved back on instinct as his presence filled my small room but my legs soon hit the wooden edge of my bed. I cocked my head, catching Kian still sound asleep. My heart pattered in my chest. “Why are you here? What do you want from me?” He scoffed, but his expression darkened like a storm cloud. “Don’t act like you don’t know, Sylphie. I’m here to claim what’s mine.” “I’m not yours.” I swallowed, clenching my fist to stop my trembling. Alpha Axel stalked closer and I wanted to run but I knew I couldn’t. It would be impossible to escape him. “I would have made your life better but you decided to act foolishly.” He stopped in front of me and the pungent smell of beer and feminine cologne mixed with his heavy smokey scent whiffed into my nose. I almost gagged from the smell. This man had no s
❀° ┄───────╮ Sylphiette ╰───────┄ °❀ The sun beat down mercilessly, turning the cracked stone beneath my feet into something hotter than hellfire. The courtyard was a sea of sneering faces and expectant glares. Kian clung to my neck, his small arms tight around me as if he understood the danger without knowing the full weight of it. His little body trembled with every breath. I kept my chin high, though my insides were twisted with dread. "Let the trial begin," Alpha Axel's voice boomed from the far end of the courtyard. His throne looked like a mockery of justice itself, draped in black fur, his smug face stretched in something between a smirk and a threat. I guessed since he couldn’t have me, he wanted to humiliate me as much as he felt I’d done to him. Was that why he was indulging? To humiliate me? To have me crawl at his feet and beg for mercy? If he thought this was enough to break me, he was wrong. I’d rather die than beg at his feet. But would I want the same feat fo
❀° ┄───────╮ Sylphiette ╰───────┄ °❀ The first thing I felt was warmth. Soft, smooth linens—nothing like the scratchy blanket and damp floors of the dungeon. Then the scent of lavender and antiseptic. Clean. Calming. Clinical hit me in waves. I groaned, my consciousness fully seeping in and I blinked open my eyes slowly, fighting the weight on my eyelids. A pale ceiling greeted me, unfamiliar and sterile. The second thing I felt, panic and it rose up my throat. Where was I? I jolted upright, but my body screamed in protest. Pain pulsed down my spine, sharp and deep. My back throbbed from the memory of the whip, and my head spun. I gritted my teeth, groaning as I forced myself to sit up fully, ignoring the sharp tug of bandages against my skin. My mind raced until it screamed with a thought. Kian. My baby boy. My heart pattered frantically in my chest. But just then, the door swung open, and a man stepped in. The first thing I noticed was his salt-and-pepper hair neatly co
╔═━─────━▒ Cassius ▒━─────━═╝ I hadn’t known what I would find when we launched the assault on the rogue king’s territory. The plan had been simple—retaliation. A direct message. The bastard and his filthy pack had gone too far. The attack on my sentinels two days ago wasn’t just reckless; it was a declaration of war. Three of my men had returned bloody and torn after being ambushed by rogues wearing the Dark Crescent insignia. I couldn’t let it go unanswered. I wasn't going to show mercy, and I sure as hell hadn’t planned on forgiveness. But what I hadn’t expected the most was what I found in the center of that cursed courtyard. Sylphiette. My mate. My ex-mate. The woman I’d once sworn to protect above all else… and the same woman I had banished from my pack, my territory, and my life. She was on her knees, barely clothed, soaked and bloodied. Shackled. Broken. The whip was already in motion when I arrived. The brute holding it was seconds away from striking a ch
❀° ┄───────╮ Sylphiette ╰───────┄ °❀ I held my son in my arms, watching him sleep next to me. The raging storm inside me calmed as I watched him. His soft dark locks feathered his forehead, his breathing soft, and the peaceful expression on his face. This was how it was always meant to be; my mind replayed the chaos of the day before. It's been three days since I gained consciousness and realized that I was in the Wintermoon pack. I've pinched myself severally but this wasn't a dream. It was as real as it could be and my mind has been replaying on a lot of things. Then there was Cassius. Just the thought of his name has my heart picking up pace. He’d been the one to save me. How ironic, the same man who cast me out without a second glance… saved me. I wish I could laugh. If only it were funny. I brushed the strands of hair on Kian’s forehead, catching sight of my banded wrist—the bruises from the shackles that held me down during the trial. I wondered what happened afterward—a
❀° ┄───────╮ Sylphiette╰───────┄ °❀“You don't have to be so aggressive, Sylphie,” he said softly, turning his gaze to capture mine. “I’m not the enemy.”I scoffed at those words, turning my gaze away from him. “I never asked for your help. I was fine.” I hissed.“No Sylphie, you were being whipped and the little boy would have been too if I hadn't ambushed— if I hadn’t been there.”My gaze narrowed on that one word, ambushed. Was that why he was there? I mean, it made sense now. Were they at war? No, I didn't think so. I would have heard about it since I've been living in the dark crescent pack for four years.My head spun with questions. None that I agreed to address so I shook them off. It wasn't my business and I didn't care. Not about Cassius or about the rogue King’s pack.“I didn't need your heroic gesture.” I hissed, my voice bitter as ever.I’m not sure what I expected his responsero be but for a moment he didn't speak. “What happened?”My head snapped up to him,
╔═━─────━▒ Cassius ▒━─────━═╝ I watched them in awe. The little boy’s voice completely cut through the charged air and Sylphie’s tensed demeanor. Her smile was instant the moment she saw his smaller form beside her. The little boy easily captured her warmth. All she’d ever given me were hateful glares and cold words. Of course, what had I expected from the woman I’d rejected and banished from my pack? She’d betrayed me. Or so I’d thought. Looking at her right now, I knew— I realized, she wasn't the perpetrator of the crime she’d been accused of— banished for. One look at her now, I realized how wrong my judgment had been. How could it have been her? There was no way she would have done such a thing. But then, it had all happened in a blur. I was broken and when I looked at her, all I’d felt were hate and rage. Pure, undefined rage. As though my mind were not my own. Now, seeing her again after four years, I didn't know why, but I could tell now—it wasn't her. But I reali
❀° ┄───────╮Sylphiette╰───────┄ °❀I paced the room as I bit on my nails. My anxiety rushed through me like an overflowing river in a rainstorm.I needed a plan.And I needed one quickly.My wounds were already healing, thanks to the dedicated treatments Doctor Harlan administered daily. I didn't need the bandages anymore, but Harlan said I'd still continue the regular treatments to prevent unexpected infections and boost the healing process. He was a very skilled man and quite knowledgeable about wolves' anatomy and herbs. It's no wonder he became who he is today.It's been a week already. How the days always flew by when there were things of importance to act upon.Like leaving this nightmare.Of all the places I had to land right back into, it had to be the source of my misery. Not that I wasn't grateful for the treatment; I would have well been dead without it.The thought gutted me and I turned around to watch my little boy soundly asleep in the crib they'd provided for me.Bu
╔═━─────━▒ Cassius ▒━─────━═╝ I watched them in awe. The little boy’s voice completely cut through the charged air and Sylphie’s tensed demeanor. Her smile was instant the moment she saw his smaller form beside her. The little boy easily captured her warmth. All she’d ever given me were hateful glares and cold words. Of course, what had I expected from the woman I’d rejected and banished from my pack? She’d betrayed me. Or so I’d thought. Looking at her right now, I knew— I realized, she wasn't the perpetrator of the crime she’d been accused of— banished for. One look at her now, I realized how wrong my judgment had been. How could it have been her? There was no way she would have done such a thing. But then, it had all happened in a blur. I was broken and when I looked at her, all I’d felt were hate and rage. Pure, undefined rage. As though my mind were not my own. Now, seeing her again after four years, I didn't know why, but I could tell now—it wasn't her. But I reali
❀° ┄───────╮ Sylphiette╰───────┄ °❀“You don't have to be so aggressive, Sylphie,” he said softly, turning his gaze to capture mine. “I’m not the enemy.”I scoffed at those words, turning my gaze away from him. “I never asked for your help. I was fine.” I hissed.“No Sylphie, you were being whipped and the little boy would have been too if I hadn't ambushed— if I hadn’t been there.”My gaze narrowed on that one word, ambushed. Was that why he was there? I mean, it made sense now. Were they at war? No, I didn't think so. I would have heard about it since I've been living in the dark crescent pack for four years.My head spun with questions. None that I agreed to address so I shook them off. It wasn't my business and I didn't care. Not about Cassius or about the rogue King’s pack.“I didn't need your heroic gesture.” I hissed, my voice bitter as ever.I’m not sure what I expected his responsero be but for a moment he didn't speak. “What happened?”My head snapped up to him,
❀° ┄───────╮ Sylphiette ╰───────┄ °❀ I held my son in my arms, watching him sleep next to me. The raging storm inside me calmed as I watched him. His soft dark locks feathered his forehead, his breathing soft, and the peaceful expression on his face. This was how it was always meant to be; my mind replayed the chaos of the day before. It's been three days since I gained consciousness and realized that I was in the Wintermoon pack. I've pinched myself severally but this wasn't a dream. It was as real as it could be and my mind has been replaying on a lot of things. Then there was Cassius. Just the thought of his name has my heart picking up pace. He’d been the one to save me. How ironic, the same man who cast me out without a second glance… saved me. I wish I could laugh. If only it were funny. I brushed the strands of hair on Kian’s forehead, catching sight of my banded wrist—the bruises from the shackles that held me down during the trial. I wondered what happened afterward—a
╔═━─────━▒ Cassius ▒━─────━═╝ I hadn’t known what I would find when we launched the assault on the rogue king’s territory. The plan had been simple—retaliation. A direct message. The bastard and his filthy pack had gone too far. The attack on my sentinels two days ago wasn’t just reckless; it was a declaration of war. Three of my men had returned bloody and torn after being ambushed by rogues wearing the Dark Crescent insignia. I couldn’t let it go unanswered. I wasn't going to show mercy, and I sure as hell hadn’t planned on forgiveness. But what I hadn’t expected the most was what I found in the center of that cursed courtyard. Sylphiette. My mate. My ex-mate. The woman I’d once sworn to protect above all else… and the same woman I had banished from my pack, my territory, and my life. She was on her knees, barely clothed, soaked and bloodied. Shackled. Broken. The whip was already in motion when I arrived. The brute holding it was seconds away from striking a ch
❀° ┄───────╮ Sylphiette ╰───────┄ °❀ The first thing I felt was warmth. Soft, smooth linens—nothing like the scratchy blanket and damp floors of the dungeon. Then the scent of lavender and antiseptic. Clean. Calming. Clinical hit me in waves. I groaned, my consciousness fully seeping in and I blinked open my eyes slowly, fighting the weight on my eyelids. A pale ceiling greeted me, unfamiliar and sterile. The second thing I felt, panic and it rose up my throat. Where was I? I jolted upright, but my body screamed in protest. Pain pulsed down my spine, sharp and deep. My back throbbed from the memory of the whip, and my head spun. I gritted my teeth, groaning as I forced myself to sit up fully, ignoring the sharp tug of bandages against my skin. My mind raced until it screamed with a thought. Kian. My baby boy. My heart pattered frantically in my chest. But just then, the door swung open, and a man stepped in. The first thing I noticed was his salt-and-pepper hair neatly co
❀° ┄───────╮ Sylphiette ╰───────┄ °❀ The sun beat down mercilessly, turning the cracked stone beneath my feet into something hotter than hellfire. The courtyard was a sea of sneering faces and expectant glares. Kian clung to my neck, his small arms tight around me as if he understood the danger without knowing the full weight of it. His little body trembled with every breath. I kept my chin high, though my insides were twisted with dread. "Let the trial begin," Alpha Axel's voice boomed from the far end of the courtyard. His throne looked like a mockery of justice itself, draped in black fur, his smug face stretched in something between a smirk and a threat. I guessed since he couldn’t have me, he wanted to humiliate me as much as he felt I’d done to him. Was that why he was indulging? To humiliate me? To have me crawl at his feet and beg for mercy? If he thought this was enough to break me, he was wrong. I’d rather die than beg at his feet. But would I want the same feat fo
❀° ┄───────╮ Sylphiette ╰───────┄ °❀ “I could have given you everything you ever dreamed of,” he staggered into my bedroom, slowly, his footsteps quiet as he stalked towards me. I moved back on instinct as his presence filled my small room but my legs soon hit the wooden edge of my bed. I cocked my head, catching Kian still sound asleep. My heart pattered in my chest. “Why are you here? What do you want from me?” He scoffed, but his expression darkened like a storm cloud. “Don’t act like you don’t know, Sylphie. I’m here to claim what’s mine.” “I’m not yours.” I swallowed, clenching my fist to stop my trembling. Alpha Axel stalked closer and I wanted to run but I knew I couldn’t. It would be impossible to escape him. “I would have made your life better but you decided to act foolishly.” He stopped in front of me and the pungent smell of beer and feminine cologne mixed with his heavy smokey scent whiffed into my nose. I almost gagged from the smell. This man had no s
❀° ┄───────╮ Sylphiette ╰───────┄ °❀ “Hurry up, Sylph! Those men aren’t going to serve themselves!” The crude baritone of the rogue housekeeper blistered my ears for the umth time tonight. With each moment that passed by, the weight of her crude treatment fell heavier on me. It was already past midnight. I was exhausted, sweaty and damn hungry. I was already starting to see double but Gulia didn’t give a damn. All she wanted from me was to work, work and work so much that I passed out and I did sometimes. Ever since my banishment—four years ago—from my pack, my life had slowly spiraled into a pit of hardship. I was once a Luna. A respected figure and the fated mate to the Alpha of my pack. I was happy and loved and lived my life in so much bliss, it was almost a fairytale. But everything came crashing down after that incident, that night and then I’d ended up here, at the crudest, barbarous rogue pack in the land, the Dark Crescent pack. I’d worked to earn my keep in this ru