"I am your Alpha," Liard growled, his body pressing dangerously close to hers. "You will not run from me." Helena’s breath hitched, her fingers trembling as they gripped the edge of the infirmary table. "You made a vow," she whispered, voice laced with fury and longing. "No mates. No love. Or have you already forgotten?" His jaw clenched, but his hands found her waist, heat radiating between them. "I tried to forget. I tried to fight it. But every time I close my eyes, I see you. I feel you." His voice dropped lower, a rough, desperate plea. "Damn it, Helena. You were never supposed to be mine." Helena shoved against his chest, her own emotions warring within her. "And I was never supposed to love you, Liard. But fate is cruel." She turned away, biting down the pain in her voice. "Do you know what they’ll do to me if they find out? Do you know what Rhider will do?" Liard’s grip on her tightened. "I don’t care." His breath ghosted against her ear, sending a shiver down her spine. "Let them try to take you from me. I will burn this world before I ever let you go." ********* For years, Alpha Liard Stormbane has ruled with a heart of ice, swearing never to take a mate, never to fall into the same weakness that destroyed his father. But when he is gravely injured and taken to the pack infirmary, fate shatters his control—his mate is none other than Helena, the pack’s healer…and his Beta’s mother.
view moreHelena’s POV
The scent of blood was everywhere. It clung to my skin, thick and metallic, mixing with the stench of smoke and burnt flesh. The infirmary walls trembled from the force of battle outside, and my hands shook as I tightened the bandage around a warrior’s gashed chest.
“Hold still,” I whispered, my voice low and unsteady.
The man groaned, his face pale, but I didn’t stop working. I couldn’t. If I let myself think, if I let my mind drift beyond these walls, I’d break.
A deafening roar ripped through the night. The ground quaked beneath me.
I froze.
Through the shattered window, the sky was burning outside, chaos reigned. Women running to get their pups, our warriors fighting like their lives depended on it because It really depended on it.
Crescent Moon Pack had fought wars before. We had defended our lands against rival wolves, stood strong against shifting alliances. But this, this was not a war.
It was an onslaught.
From the infirmary window, I saw beasts of legend descend upon us.
Dragons.
Their scales shimmered like liquid gold beneath the moonlight, their molten eyes unfeeling. Some remained in their winged forms, raining fire down upon the village, while others shifted into terrifying half-human forms, their claws slicing through warriors as if they were nothing.
Swords clashed. Wolves howled. The scent of burning fur filled the air.
We were losing.
I pressed my palm against the nearest wooden pillar, my nails digging into the surface. I needed something solid, something real to hold onto. Because what I saw next would haunt me forever.
A loud cough pulled my attention back to the table.
The soldier I was tending to, a young man named Toren choked on his own breath, his skin slick with sweat.
I grabbed a damp cloth and pressed it to his forehead, my heart hammering.
“Stay with me, Toren,” I urged. “You’re going to be fine.”
A weak, bitter laugh rasped from his lips. “You’re a terrible liar, Helena.”
I swallowed hard, adjusting the bandages wrapped around his abdomen. His wound was deep, too deep. The blood soaked through faster than I could press it down.
Dain clenched his teeth, his golden eyes fluttering. “Tell me…the Alpha’s still alive?”
My fingers hesitated for a second before tightening the wrap. Lie. Give him hope.
“He’s fighting,” I said softly. “He’s strong.”
Toren gave a half-smirk. “That’s not an answer.”
I held his gaze for a long moment. What could I say? That I didn’t know? That I had seen our warriors fall faster than I could count? That I wasn’t sure if any of us would live to see the morning?
Instead, I squeezed his hand.
“You don’t need to worry about that. Just focus on breathing.”
Toren exhaled shakily, his body relaxing slightly beneath my touch.
Then, in a quiet, tired voice, he murmured, “Do you ever wonder… if this is how we were meant to die?”
A cold shiver crawled down my spine.
“Don’t talk like that.”
Toren gave a weak chuckle. “I always thought I’d die with a sword in my hand. Not in some infirmary. Not… like this.”
I shook my head. “You’re not going to die.”
His fingers curled slightly around mine.
“Helena…” His voice dropped lower. “If… if I don’t make it, tell my little sister I—”
The roof exploded above us.
A massive shockwave tore through the walls, sending splinters of wood and stone raining down. I barely had time to throw my body over Toren’s before the impact slammed into my back, knocking the breath from my lungs.
Through the dust and debris, I could just make out the glowing sky through the massive hole in the ceiling.
And outside were Liard and Rhider.
They were still standing. Still fighting. Still drenched in blood and fury.
Then I saw him, Alpha Stormbane. He was trapped.
My breath caught in my throat as I spotted him across the battlefield. Surrounded by dragon fire.
His wolf form, once majestic, once a symbol of Crescent Moon’s might was wounded, his silver fur matted with blood. He fought to break free, his fangs bared, but his movements were slowing.
No. No, no, no—
Above him, a dark-scaled dragon descended, its jaws parting, molten light glowing in its throat.
Liard turned, eyes widening, horror twisting his face.
“FATHER!”
The beast unleashed its flames.
The inferno swallowed everything.
A scream ripped from my throat, but it vanished beneath the sound of raging fire.
And just like that, Alpha Stormbane was gone.
*******
The next few moments were a blur. The battle raged on, but the fire inside us had died.
The dragons, as if sensing their victory, began to retreat into the skies. Their wings beat against the night, their roars fading into the distance.
They had won.
They had come not to conquer, but to destroy.
And they had succeeded.
By dawn, the battlefield was silent.
Crescent Moon, once a thriving home, was reduced to ashes, and the walls of a few of us that had survived.
We gathered near the river’s edge, where the remains of our Alpha had been recovered. There wasn’t much left of him. The fire had burned away almost everything. But Liard had made sure his father would not be left forgotten.
The pack stood in eerie silence as we laid Alpha Stormbane to rest.
The warriors stood tall, their heads bowed. Mothers clutched their children to their chests. And in the center of it all, Liard knelt before his father’s remains.
His hands were covered in blood. His face, streaked with soot, was carved from stone.
His breaths were ragged. But his voice—his voice was ice.
“Love is a weakness.”
The words fell over us like a final death sentence.
Liard rose to his feet, his posture unyielding. The boy who had lost his father no longer existed.
Before us stood a man who had nothing left to lose.
His next words sealed his fate.
"I will never allow it to make me the same."
A shudder passed through the pack.
Rhider stepped forward, his golden eyes dark with unspoken grief. He clenched his fist, his jaw tightening.
Then, in a voice just as cold, just as broken, he spoke.
"Mates are a weakness. We will never take one."
We left the burial site in silence. No one dared to speak.
What words could be said?
Liard had been our Alpha’s son. Now, he was our Alpha.
A part of me wanted to reach out to him. To tell him that he didn’t have to do this. That he could grieve. That he was not alone.
But the moment I saw his face, the emptiness in his storm-gray eyes, I knew.
Liard had locked himself away.
And no one, not me, not Rhider, not the Moon Goddess herself—could bring him back.
The war was over.
But in its wake, it had left behind something far more dangerous.
A man who had nothing left to feel.
A leader who had no love left to give.
And an oath that would one day come back to haunt us all.
Helena’s POVThe stillness of morning did nothing to soothe the storm inside me.I sat on the edge of my bed, staring at the pale light seeping through the high windows. My limbs ached from the effort of yesterday’s healing, but it wasn’t the bruises or cuts that haunted me—it was the words of the dragon scout, rasping through the night air like a curse:The prince walks among you.No name. No direct accusation. But the moment I heard it, my heart clenched around a single truth I had buried for years.Rhider.I rose from the bed, palms clammy, and wrapped a shawl tightly around my shoulders. The corridors were quiet. Only the gentle clatter of armor and whispered prayers of the healers echoed through the walls.When I passed by the training yard, I paused.Rhider, there he was. Sword in hand, sweat darkening his tunic, muscles coiled like a predator in motion. He moved like a vision carved from war itself, flawless, fast, impossibly precise.Too fast.I knew the limits of a werewolf’s
Seraphina's POVHis hands were still on my skin, the warmth of his body pressed against mine beneath the tangled furs of the healer's tent. My heart hadn’t settled. Neither had my thoughts. Not even after the way he… oh my God.He fucked me like a man possessed. Like he needed me more than he needed air. It hadn’t been gentle. It hadn’t been slow. It had been rough, desperate, maddeningly perfect. Every thrust, every bite, every growled moan against my throat had carved itself into the marrow of my bones.And I had begged for more.Rhider’s breath was still uneven behind me. His arm lay across my waist, anchoring me to him as if afraid I might vanish if he let go. Part of me still wondered if this was a fever dream. If I’d wake alone, untouched, unloved.But I wasn’t. I was his and he was mine. I turned my face slightly, just enough to feel the soft brush of his lips against my temple."You’re trembling," he whispered. "I’m not cold."No. I was burning.Every nerve in my body still ec
Rhider’s POV The fire was still in my bones.Even hours after the battle, after the blood had dried and the last wounded soldier had been treated, I could still feel it humming beneath my skin, like a second heartbeat.I stared at my hands as I dipped them into the washbasin behind the barracks, scrubbing away the dirt, the ash, the blood. But no matter how hard I scrubbed, the tremble wouldn’t stop. Not from exhaustion. No, something else. Something worse.Because what I’d done today wasn’t natural. I’d moved too fast. Heard things no wolf should have heard. Survived wounds that should’ve split me in two and Liard had seen it.He hadn’t said a word, his expression unreadable as ever, but I knew my Alpha. I knew the way he studied me, like I was suddenly a puzzle with a missing piece he was desperate to find.Seraphina… Gods.My throat clenched as I thought of her scream when that winged beast lunged for her, the wild panic in her eyes, and the way she’d crumpled into me once I caugh
Liard’s POV The war horn shattered the silence before dawn.Its echo rolled down the mountainside like thunder, stirring the warriors in their tents, the beasts in the woods, and the ghosts in my mind. I stood at the edge of the cliff overlooking the eastern ridge, where smoke bloomed like a dark omen across the trees. The dragons had finally moved.They were here.Rhider stood beside me, armored and silent. His jaw was tight, his eyes sharp, golden and glowing faintly beneath the rising sun. My sister stood further back, trying to hide her fear. I didn’t blame her.“Mount up,” I said, voice low but firm. “We ride.”Within minutes, the camp transformed into a war machine. Horses stomped, blades gleamed, and the wind carried the crackle of fire magic already burning in the east. The dragons weren’t waiting. They wanted a message sent. And I would answer them with steel.We rode hard, Rhider and I at the front. Warriors fell in formation behind us like the spine of a beast ready to bar
Liard’s POV The war table was crowded, yet the silence was deafening.I stood at the head of it, arms crossed over my chest, jaw clenched, my gaze darting across the map. Red markers littered the borders, burnt villages, missing scouts, fallen posts. Every hour, more came in. Every one of them a threat I was meant to stop.Rhider was at my side, silent, unreadable, but I could feel the tension rolling off him like heat from flame. Across the table, my generals exchanged uncertain glances. The atmosphere in the tent was heavy, thick with nerves.And yet, all I could think about… was her.Helena.Her face in the candlelight. Her breathy whispers against my neck. The way her body trembled when I touched her. The way she looked at me like I was still worth saving, even when the rest of the world wasn’t sure.I hadn’t slept. Not properly. My body had collapsed in the early hours from sheer exhaustion, but my mind hadn’t rested. My dreams had been filled with dragon fire—and her screaming
Helena’s POV The fire had long since burned down to embers, but the heat in my chest had not cooled.I sat alone in the quiet of my chambers, my hands resting in my lap, the tips still stained with blood that wouldn't wash out,no matter how hard I scrubbed. It wasn’t the soldiers’ wounds that haunted me tonight. It wasn’t even the distant rumble of drums signaling troop movements or the scouts returning from the outer woods with grim news of dragon skirmishes.It was the silence after. The silence when I was left with my thoughts-dangerous, treacherous thoughts.I hadn’t gone to Liard.He had summoned me again, a quiet knock at my door earlier that evening, followed by a messenger who said, “He waits for you in the old stone passage.” The same place we had once made love. The same hidden chamber that still smelled of fire and skin.But I never left my room, because this time… I couldn’t. The danger wasn’t just from outside the walls-it was inside my blood.Seraphina’s words earlier s
Helena’s POV The air was still thick with ash and smoke, though the flames from the scouting battle had long since died down. I stood at the window of the infirmary, my hands trembling around a jar of salve I hadn’t even realized I was holding.The war had finally arrived. And with it came chaos.The door creaked open, and I didn’t have to turn to know who it was. Rhider always had this presence about him, steady, grounded, and entirely too observant for his own good.“Helena,” he said, voice quiet but firm.I looked at him over my shoulder. His golden armor was dusted with soot, and a fresh cut marred his cheek. Yet, he stood tall, Alpha-born and battle-tempered.“You need to be ready,” he said. “It’s time.”I turned fully now, setting the jar down. “Ready for what?”His gaze met mine, steady and unflinching. “For the worst. The dragons won’t send another warning. They’ll strike fast. If you’re needed to heal warriors on the frontlines, you’ll be sent.”My heart tightened.I knew th
Liard’s POV The letter was still clenched in my fist. “Leave your land. You are not strong enough to keep it.”The parchment crinkled beneath my grip as I stood at the war table, surrounded by my generals, every one of them looking to me for answers I didn’t have.“We fortify the northern ridge,” Garrik said. “It’s the most vulnerable now that the dragons have crossed.”“No,” I snapped. “We let them think the ridge is exposed. We draw them in, then strike from the eastern flank.”Murmurs of approval rippled through the room, but I barely heard them. My thoughts weren’t here-not entirely.They were back in the silence of my chambers, where the scent of her still lingered on my sheets. Helena.She had haunted every moment of my restless night, and even now, the echo of her voice warred with the sound of battle plans.I dismissed the council with a nod, letting them argue amongst themselves.I needed air, space and her.Later that dayThe sound of laughter caught my ear as I crossed the
Liard’s POV The training grounds echoed with the sharp clash of steel. My muscles burned as I swung my blade, each strike harder than the last, each movement more precise. I needed this. The distraction. The pain. The mind-numbing repetition that kept my thoughts at bay.Because last night, I didn’t go to her.And I knew she would find me.I felt Helena’s presence before she spoke. She didn’t rush in, didn’t demand my attention. She just stood there, watching.I forced myself to continue sparring, blocking a warrior’s strike, countering, pushing forward."You didn’t come," her voice finally broke through the morning air, quiet but sharp.I didn’t respond immediately.I wanted to tell her I couldn’t, that duty held me back, but the truth was much worse. I was afraid. Afraid of how much I wanted her. Afraid of what she did to me.Instead, I deflected. "More warriors were injured in last night’s ambush. We need to focus on the war ahead."Her silence was loud."You made a promise," she
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