❀° ┄───────╮Sylphiette╰───────┄ °❀“You have a lot of nerves coming back here, traitor.” She sneered, stepping it.The sight of her slammed me with those painful memories again. Of heart-shattering screams and a perfectly wrong moment. After all, she’d been the one to eagerly alert the pack of my said crime.My blood curled at the recollection and her presence. I didn't bother to know she’d suddenly appeared here like a vengeful vixen.Zenya’s the daughter of the pack’s former Beta. Her father’s now a council member of the pack, if my memories serve me correctly.Even when I was Luna, she and I never got off on the same foot. I’d always sensed the feeling of animosity from her and I wasn't sure why.But I guessed she just didn't like me.“You should have stayed in hell and never crawled out of that pit,” she spat, starting towards me, stalkingly. “Traitors like you—”But I'd already had enough of her insinuating words.“I'm not a traitor, Zenya. I’d rather you not call me that.” I s
❀° ┄───────╮Sylphiette╰───────┄ °❀My hackles rose at yet another of his sharp deduction—none that was relevant right now.“The boy… he's mine, isn't he?” Cassius pressed on.“Why are you asking me? Weren't you so sure before?”“I just need a confirmation.”“And if I don't give one?”He sighed, frustration running amok on his features but he’s just as quick to conceal it as it came.“I'm not going to take him away from you if that's what you're afraid of, Sylphie, trust me.”I laughed but there was no humor in it. “Trust you? Where exactly was this trust when I needed it the most, Cassius?!” I barked“When you turned your back on me and cast me out of my home like I was nothing?” He flinched, but I didn’t stop. “You banished me,” I spat. “And I begged you. I begged you to believe me, Cassius and what did you do? You didn’t even look at me. And then you rejected me. Now you want me to trust you? Why should I?” “I made a mistake, Sylphie.” “No. You made a choice.” The pain in his
❀° ┄───────╮Sylphiette╰───────┄ °❀The mansion in front of me felt daunting in ways, streaming memories of the past back into my mind. A place that once used to be my home. Now it felt like a new prison of condemnation.I pushed those thoughts behind, reminding myself that it was all for Kian’s sake. I was only going to be here for a while until I’m fully healed.I let out a heavy breath and started walking towards it. The front door slowly opened as though sensing my arrival and my heart thudded in my chest when I saw who stood at the doorway.Cassius.His hands are dipped into his pockets and he’s dressed less tightly formal than usual, wearing only a light grey dress shirt and black pants.His hair is held neatly into a low bun today and his hazel gaze watched me with a quiet softness as I approached. He smiled when I reached him, “How was your ride?” he asked.“Pleasant, thank you for providing the car.”Even though I didn't want to be facing him right now, it was the least I c
❀° ┄───────╮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