Unknown POV The pack had been restless for weeks. At first, the whispers were low, cautious, lingering in the corners of conversations when they thought their Alpha wasn’t listening. But dissatisfaction was like an infection, once it spread, it festered.The pack felt that Helios had changed. Ever since he was saved by that runt, the former punching bag of the pack, he had become... different.It wasn’t just that he listened to her. That, in itself, was disturbing enough. No, it was the way he deferred to her. The way he allowed her presence beside him, allowed her touch without reprimand. It was unnatural. Alphas ruled. Omegas obeyed. That was the way of things.And yet, here was Starlight, once weak, once beneath notice, walking alongside Helios as if she belonged at his side. As if she were equal. Some wolves tried to reason with it. “She saved him,” a few murmured. “Her blood made him strong. Maybe…” But others scoffed.“He was already the strongest Alpha in generations. Her bloo
Helios’ POVThe whole training ground was filled with the scent of blood and submission. Hutchins lay broken at my feet, his body trembling, his face battered beyond recognition. I barely spared him a glance. He had learned his lesson. The rest of them? They needed to hear it.I straightened, rolling my shoulders, feeling the intensity of my pack’s eyes on me. Some wide with shock, others downcast, afraid to meet my gaze. I had let them whisper. I had let them doubt. No more.I turned my gaze over the gathered wolves, my pack, my people. They had forgotten what it meant to be led by me. Forgotten what it meant to be bound by the will of the Moon Goddess herself."You think me weak." My voice carried easily, laced with the quiet fury still thrumming through my veins. “You think because I stand beside my mate instead of above her, that I am lesser.” No one spoke. No one dared.I let my power unleash, a slow, creeping force that wrapped around every wolf present. Some whimpered. Some bar
Starlight’s POVHelios fought for me. The words replayed in my mind like a heartbeat as I walked beside him, my fingers still entwined with his. I could still hear the echoes of Hutchins' body hitting the ground, the gasps of the pack as Helios made his stance clear. They had questioned his strength because he let me stand at his side, and he had shattered their delusions without mercy. He had always been strong. I had never doubted that. But tonight, I saw something different.He wasn’t just a warrior, a ruthless alpha who could tear through anyone who challenged him. He was my warrior. My protector. And yet, he did not cage me. Did not smother me. I was holding the reins in this strange, fragile thing between us, and he didn’t seem to mind. If anything… he was starting to enjoy it.As we entered our chambers, the heavy doors shut behind us with a finality that left only silence in its wake. The tension of the night still clung to me like a second skin, but it was not fear, not unea
Helios’ POVI had fought wars. Led countless warriors into battle. Torn apart those who dared to challenge me. And yet, here I was, seated in a damn chair, letting my mate toy with me like I was nothing more than a wolf cub. And I liked it. Too damn much.Star’s fingers moved lazily through my hair, her touch featherlight, almost teasing. If someone had told me a few weeks ago that I’d be sitting here, willingly allowing a woman, my mate, to hold this much control over me, I would have laughed in their face. But with her… I didn’t mind. Because it wasn’t control, not really. It was trust.She let her nails scratch gently against my scalp, and I exhaled, my body sinking further into the chair. The tension that had coiled in my muscles after the fight had started to unravel, but it wasn’t just her touch that did it.It was the way she looked at me now. Like she was finally seeing me. Not just as the feared Alpha. Not as the warrior others whispered about. But as hers.I cracked my eyes
Helios' POVI should have known better. I really should have. But there was something about Starlight, the way she held the reins of our relationship with quiet authority, the way she let me follow her lead without making me feel less of an Alpha, that made me reckless.I had never let anyone control me before. Never wanted to. Yet here I was, perfectly content to obey her every whim. Until I slipped up. Until my arrogance, the very thing she despised most about me, got the better of me.It started with something simple. We were walking through the packhouse, side by side. It had only been a few hours since I had beaten Hutchins into the dirt, and the atmosphere was still awash with the wave, of my victory.The wolves who had doubted me bowed lower than usual as we passed. None of them dared to meet my eyes. None of them dared to meet hers. It was exactly how things should be. Or so I thought.I smirked, letting my fingers graze Starlight’s wrist, testing her boundaries, enjoying the
Helios’ POVI was going to kill her. Not literally, of course. But this woman, this infuriating, intoxicating woman, was driving me insane.I could still feel the ghost of her lips on my cheek, the warmth of her breath when she whispered those two damn words: Good boy. I should have hated it. I should have put her in her place. But instead?I was sitting here like some obedient pet, fists clenched, jaw tight, and an ache in my chest that had nothing to do with anger. What the hell was she doing to me?She stood there, watching me with way too much amusement, her arms crossed over her chest. She was enjoying this. Enjoying me. "You look like you're about to explode," she said casually. I huffed. "You think this is funny?""I think you're struggling," she countered. "Which is interesting, considering how easily you crushed Hutchins like a bug earlier." My growl was instinctive, a sharp reminder that I was still Alpha, still dangerous, still not to be toyed with. But she didn’t flinch. I
Helios' POVShe was getting too good at this. Too good at playing me. Starlight was perched behind me, fingers working over my shoulders, her touch deceptively soft. She knew exactly what she was doing. And worse? I was letting her. Actually, I was enjoying it.I closed my eyes, exhaling slowly as her fingers moved lower, teasing, testing… punishing. "You're not as unshakable as you like to pretend," she murmured, voice dripping with amusement.My lip curled. "Careful, little moon," I warned, "you might just wake the beast." She laughed softly. "Oh, Helios," she cooed, voice laced with mock sympathy. "The beast? That thing that growls at my every word and then obeys me anyway?"A growl rumbled in my chest. She was playing with fire and she knew it. The problem was, so did I. Which is why, when she leaned in, her breath warm against my neck, and whispered, "Good boy." I snapped. Fast and instinctual.Before I could stop myself, I had twisted, grabbing her wrist, yanking her forward. In
Star’s POVHelios was enjoying this. I could see it in the way his lips curled at the edges, in the way his shoulders remained loose even as I loomed over him. It irritated me. No, it enraged me.I had expected resistance, expected him to snap, growl, or at least pretend he still had the upper hand. Instead, he stood there, arms folded, eyes watching me with quiet amusement, as if he were indulging me. Like I was the one being tamed.I needed to remind him that wasn’t the case. "You disobeyed me," I said, my voice sharp as a blade. Helios tilted his head, feigning innocence. "Did I?"I stepped closer, grabbing his collar and yanking him down. He didn’t resist. He let me. My fingers clenched the fabric of his shirt, my nails digging into his skin beneath it."You lied to me," I hissed. "I told you to stay in the chambers. I told you to rest. And what did you do?" "I took a walk," he said smoothly. "Hardly a crime, little Luna." I slapped him.A gasp left my lips the second my palm conn
Star’s POVThe gardens had changed so much. Once, they were a tangle of wild vines and neglected fountains. Now, they bloomed in every color the mind could conjure, a testament to years of peace, nurtured by steady hands and hopeful hearts.I sat beneath the silverleaf tree, a thick book resting in my lap, though I hadn’t turned a page in some time. Instead, I watched. Two figures stood at the edge of the training grounds, bathed in the golden haze of late afternoon.Lyra moved like liquid light, a blade in each hand, her strikes swift and sure. Kaelen countered, laughing, parrying her every move with effortless grace. Their magic pulsed between them, visible now,mwoven into every step, every breath.I smiled. They were no longer children clinging to my skirts. They were warriors. Leaders. Legends in the making. "You look proud," Helios said, dropping down onto the bench beside me. His hair was dusted with gray at the temples now, and fine lines fanned from the corners of his golden ey
Star’s POVThe great plaza of Solis Magna had never held so many. From every corner of the realm, from snow-dusted northern steppes to the emerald coasts of the south, they came.Nobles in gleaming armor. Magi in embroidered robes. Merchants in bright silks. Hunters, warriors, healers, even wandering bards. The city was a living river of humanity, all converging for one reason: To witness the birth of a new era.I stood at the center of it all, the twins at my side, Helios at my back. Today wasn’t just about us. It was about what we symbolized: Survival. Unity. A future carved from the ashes of fear.The royal dais had been draped in banners of silver and indigo, the colors of hope and rebirth. At its heart sat the Twin Thrones, two smaller seats forged from moonstone and steel, twined together by veins of shimmering crystal.An artisan's masterpiece. A promise made manifest. The twins shifted beside me, sensing the importance of the moment even at their tender age. Little Elira clut
Star’s POVThe battlefield was silent. Not with the unnatural silence of fear, but with the heavy, reverent hush of mourning.The crows had come to feast, circling high above the smoldering ruins, but even they seemed hesitant to land.It felt as if the very earth was holding its breath.I stood at the edge of the palace gardens, what remained of them, cradling the twins in my arms. The price of our victory lay all around us. Not in broken stones. Not in burned fields.But in the faces missing from the crowd.Sir Caldus, the grizzled commander who had once sworn never to serve under a "mere omega," had fallen protecting the southern gate, his body found draped over a trio of young squires he had shielded from the cult's last brutal strike.Lady Meriva, my oldest advisor and secret mentor in court politics, had refused to leave the war room even as the ceiling collapsed around her. Her sharp tongue and sharper mind, silenced.And Lord Riven, Helios’ second-in-command, a warrior as fier
Star’s POVThe dawn rose blood-red over the battlefield. I staggered through the wreckage, every breath burning in my lungs, every muscle aching. Helios’ hand never left my back, steadying me, grounding me. But it wasn’t over. Not yet.Above the palace, the twin beams of light pulsed stronger, not fading, not weakening but building. Growing. Drawing every soul’s attention like a lodestar. The survivors turned, warriors, mages, servants, all of them lifting their heads, faces bathed in the radiant glow.Even the enemy’s corpses, corrupted and twisted, seemed to dissolve into dust under its touch. The world itself was changing. I knew I had to get to them. Ignoring the protests of my battered body, I ran, up the crumbling stone steps, through the shattered gates, until I burst into the palace.The halls were filled with light. And at the heart of it all, in the throne room, the twins stood. No longer fragile infants. Not quite children either. They hovered inches above the ground, tiny
Star’s POVThe night before the battle, the sky wept black rain. It fell in thick sheets against the palace windows, painting the world in shadows.The twins slept fitfully in their cribs, tiny fists clenching, soft whimpers escaping their lips. Even they could feel it, the tension tightening the air, the storm gathering beyond the horizon.I stood at the highest tower, my armor a second skin, my sword strapped to my back, celestial magic humming at my fingertips. Below me, the army gathered. Wolf warriors clad in dark steel. Mages with their staffs glowing faintly. Archers stringing arrows tipped with silver and starfire.Helios was already at the front, speaking to the troops. I could feel him through the bond, calm, steady, a blazing force holding the line. I closed my eyes and let my power rise. Tonight wasn’t just another skirmish. It was the first true war cry of an ancient enemy. And we would answer it.The cult came with the storm. They poured out of the forests like oil slick
Star’s POVThe first sign was so small, so easily missed, that it almost slipped through my fingers. A scout failed to report back on time, nothing unusual, given the chaos at our borders.But then another disappeared. And then a patrol found strange footprints at the edge of the northern woods: bootprints, human, but alongside them, the scorched marks of something... other.I tightened the palace defenses that night, weaving additional layers of celestial magic into the gates, the walls, even the air itself. I didn’t sleep. I didn’t dare. Because deep in my bones, the truth was already stirring: There was a traitor among us.Three days later, it struck. The twins were asleep in their nursery, the palace humming with low, wary energy. I was reviewing troop movements with Helios when the alarms screamed through the halls, a keening, unnatural sound that made every hair on my body rise.I sprinted, Helios at my heels, instincts howling. Bursting into the nursery, I found chaos. The head
Star’s POVThe morning after the council’s cowardice was laid bare, the sun rose blood-red over the horizon.I stood alone on the highest tower, the cold wind snapping at my hair and cloak, my heart burning with a fire no frost could quench. Below me, the courtyard buzzed with nervous energy, soldiers drilling harder, blacksmiths hammering faster, scouts galloping through the gates.We had little time. The vision the twins had shared in flashes, beasts without faces, storms that bled black rain, fires that howled like grieving mothers, haunted me.The darkness wasn’t waiting politely at our borders. It was coming.And this time, it was not a squabble over thrones or a petty rebellion. It was annihilation. Helios joined me silently, his presence steady at my side. His arm brushed mine in a silent vow: Whatever comes, we stand together.I turned to him. “It’s not enough,” I said simply.The preparations, the drills, the polished armor, it wasn’t enough to face an ancient enemy that wiel
Star’s POVThe first sign came with the breaking of a mirror. It wasn’t just any mirror, it was the ancient obsidian looking glass that had hung in the royal antechamber for generations, unmarred by time or war. That morning, I found it split down the center, a crack as fine as a spider’s web radiating outward like a warning whispered from the bones of the earth. The second sign was harder to ignore.Reports flooded in, whispered by trembling envoys. Reports of black storms rolling across the distant borders, swallowing rivers, rotting crops in minutes, and waking beasts from ancient slumber. Villages that had stood for centuries vanished beneath the storms’ writhing clouds.And every time I reached out with my magic, trying to sense the twins through our invisible thread, I felt a hum of urgency. A pulsing hurry that prickled against my skin. The threat was coming. Not in months. Not even in weeks. Days.I gathered my court in the war room, a vaulted chamber carved of stone, with a
Star’s POVThe summons came at dawn. A formal decree, pressed into my palm by a pale-faced courier who refused to meet my eyes. The parchment crackled in my grip, the words stamped in wax as if the Council thought their authority alone could cage me.Helios stood beside me on the palace steps, reading over my shoulder. His growl rumbled low and dangerous. “They dare summon you like a criminal?” I smoothed the parchment with steady fingers, though inside, a storm brewed.“They fear what they don't understand," I said. "And they never imagined the power they tried to bury could rise stronger than them." He squeezed my hand, silent but burning with unspoken support.The Council had demanded not only my presence, but that of my father, King Hesperion, as if dragging him into their theater of fear would lend their accusations more weight. They were wrong. So wrong.The Grand Hall of the High Council was colder than I remembered. Ancient pillars loomed overhead, carved with the symbols of e