LOGINKaren POV Zaiden didnât let go even when I shifted slightly in his arms. If anything, he held me more carefully, like he was scared Iâd disappear. We stayed like that in the garden, the night air wrapping around us. I tilted my head slightly, still resting against his chest. His heartbeat was steady. But I could feel it, how hard it was beating anyway. âYouâre shaking,â I muttered. âIâm not,â he lied immediately. A small breath of laughter escaped me before I could stop it. I'm sure he didnât expect to hear it again. âYou just lied,â I said, pulling back slightly to look up at him. His lips twitched. âBad habit.â I rolled my eyes lightly. âStill annoying.â His expression softened instantly. âYeah?â I nodded once. âAnd you talk too much when youâre nervous.â That made him pause. ââŚIâm nervous?â âYes.â A beat. Then he exhaled, almost amused. âI guess I am.â The honesty between us felt fragile. But real. I studied his face for a moment. The guilt was still t
Karen's POV "What if I lose him before I forgive him?" The thought sent pure panic rushing through me. "Zaiden!" I shook him harder. There was still nothing. My heart hammered violently against my ribs. His skin felt cold, fear gripped me. "Someone!" I shouted. "Help!" Within seconds, hurried footsteps echoed through the hallway. The office door burst open. Adrian rushed inside first. His face immediately paled when he saw Zaiden. "What happened?" "I don't know!" My voice cracked. "I found him like this." Adrian quickly moved forward and checked him. Then he let out a frustrated curse. Relief flashed across his face. "He is unconscious, he passed out from exhaustion." My knees nearly gave out. The breath I had been holding escaped me. For a moment, I thought I was going to cry. The healer was called immediately. After examining him, she turned toward all of us. "When was the last time the Alpha slept?" We where quiet none of us knew. The healer frowned. "W
Zaiden's POV The next morning, I left for work without seeing Karen. Part of me wanted to find her before I left. But another part of me knew she needed space. Even if that space was killing me. The drive to the company felt longer than usual. My mind was filled with her. The tears in her eyes. The way she stepped away from me. The way she said she didn't want my help. By the time I arrived, I already felt exhausted. And the day had barely started. "Good morning, sir." I barely acknowledged my secretary as I walked into my office. A pile of documents sat on my desk. Normally, I would have gone through them immediately. Today, I couldn't even focus on the first page. The words blurred together. After staring at the same paragraph for ten minutes, I realized I hadn't absorbed a single thing. "Damn it." I tossed the file onto the desk. A knock sounded. "Sir, the board members are waiting." I closed my eyes. I had completely forgotten. Five minutes later, I was s
Karen's POV I slammed the bedroom door behind me. The loud sound echoed through the room. Maybe it would drown out the sound of my heart breaking. Fresh tears spilled down my cheeks as I leaned against the door. I couldn't stop crying. No matter how hard I tried. He kissed her. The thought repeated itself over and over in my head like a curse. He kissed her. A sob escaped my lips. I grabbed the nearest pillow and threw it across the room. A knock sounded on the door. "Karen." Zaiden. I squeezed my eyes shut. "Karen, please open the door." Silence. "Please." I laughed bitterly. The nerve. The absolute nerve. "Go away!" My voice came out louder than I intended. The knocking stopped. For a moment, I thought he had left. Then his voice came again. "I know you're angry." "Angry?" I let out a humorless laugh. I marched toward the door. "Angry?" I yanked it open. Zaiden was standing there. Looking exhausted and broken but I didn't care about that the same wa
Zaiden POV I was so afraid to tell her I didn't know what her reaction would be but I needed to she was my mate and she is supposed to be aware it could be a mistake but not telling her was the height of it all. "I want to take you somewhere," I said. "Where?" she asked, her brows furrowing in confusion. "You'll know when we get there." "Zaiden," she called softly. "Yes, baby?" I replied without taking my eyes off the road. "What's happening? You're scaring me." "You shouldn't be," I said briefly. Reaching for her hand, I intertwined our fingers and gave them a reassuring squeeze. "Just trust me." She fell silent, though I could still feel her curiosity growing with every passing minute. The journey continued until the familiar path leading to the Priestess's sanctuary came into view. Karen noticed the change in scenery immediately. Her eyes widened. "Zaiden..." she whispered. I finally turned to look at her. "This is the road to the priestess place if I
Karen's POVA few minutes later, my room was no longer quiet.My coworkers from the restaurant came in first, arms full of snacks, flowers, and small gifts. They looked emotional the moment they saw me sitting up properly.âOh my God, Karen!ââYou really scared us!ââI thought we lost you!âI smiled softly as they crowded around me, careful not to touch my injuries too much. Even the pack members came later, bringing more gifts and warm wishes. The room slowly filled with life again, laughter mixing with concern, like everyone was finally breathing properly after holding their breath for weeks.Zaiden stayed close the entire time.If I moved even slightly, his eyes followed me immediately like I was going to vanish again.I couldnât help but laugh under my breath.âYouâre being dramatic,â I told him quietly.âIâm being careful,â he corrected, holding my hand tighter.Adrian came later that night.As usual, he acted like nothing serious had ever happened, but even he softened when he
Karen POV âYou didnât tell me the main reason you came,â I said, turning away from him as I sat on the bed. My heart was still racing from the brief make out we had earlier, but I tried to sound calm, almost unaffected. His eyes, however, didnât make that easy. They followed every movement I made,
Karenâs POVHe stood there, the moonlight hitting half his face.For a second, I saw the Alpha everyone feared but then, I saw the man underneath, the one who looked just as lost as I felt.âI needed to talk,â he said.âI thought we already did,â I answered, folding my arms. âYou made your choice.â
Karenâs POV"Don't make this worse than it is,Karen, we are in the middle of a serious matter and all you could think of was running away. Come on, don't make yourself look more pathetic," Zaidenâs voice was sharp, like claws against stone. "You are a soon-to-be Luna. Running away from your respons
Zaidenâs POV âAlpha?â Calebâs voice cut through the pounding of blood in my ears. âHere!â I barked, shoving Cole harder into the dirt as he struggled under my weight. My Gamma and two warriors emerged from the treeline, eyes widening as they took in the scene me pinning the Beta, his face bloodie







