Diana Dominicus’s hand tightens around mine slightly, and I glance up at him. His expression hasn’t changed, but I can feel it—the bristle of his emotions, the faint but unmistakable ripple of his power. The air stills, a moment so brief it could almost be missed, yet it’s enough to make every hair on my body stand on end. The room reacts instantly. Marcus’s already pale complexion turns paper white as he shrinks back several steps, his shoulders hunched. Even the formidable Elder Rothgar fidgets uncomfortably, his scowl faltering ever so slightly. The guards standing along the walls straighten as though anticipating an invisible attack, eyes darting nervously our way. Alpha Darius stiffens, his face contorted in confusion. Unlike the others, he doesn’t seem to understand what’s happening. Yet the color drains from his face, and his breathing grows labored. He doesn’t know the source of the pressure, but he feels it—an unspoken promise of death should he misstep. Dominicus exhal
Diana The witnesses are members of the Zervos Pack—Omegas. Their heads are bowed, their movements timid, their fear written across every line of their bodies. My stomach twists as I watch them approach the center of the room, their eyes darting nervously between the Elders and Marcus. I recognize them. Their hunched shoulders, trembling hands, and nervous eyes tell me everything I need to know. They’ve been coerced, forced into this farce by Marcus. A fresh wave of fury crashes over me, threatening to blind me. My nails dig into my palms as I clench my fists tighter. How dare he? How dare he use them— Memories of my time in the Zervos Pack flash through my mind as the Omegas shuffle into the room, their eyes fixed on the ground. Weak. Powerless. Completely at the mercy of stronger wolves. I know what that feels like. I had been one of them. Even though I was lower than an Omega—a wolfless wolf—I had survived because I had Billy. He was washed up, dismissed by most
Diana The silence after Alpha Darius speaks is unbearable. “Burned,” he says again, his voice thick with grief, barely above a whisper. The weight of his words presses down on the room, suffocating in its intensity. I stand frozen, unable to tear my eyes away from him. His grief is raw, a living, breathing thing that fills the chamber and crawls under my skin. I can almost feel the pain he carries—the unimaginable loss of his only child. In the center of the room, Billy stands alone. His shoulders slump, and his face is as pale as I’ve ever seen it. His hands shake at his sides, and I can hear his breathing—shallow, uneven, almost labored. He looks like he’s about to collapse, and my heart aches for him. Across from us, on the other side of the room, standing right beside Alpha Darius, Marcus is a stark contrast. He looks… proud. He stands tall, his lips curling into a faint smirk. The triumph in his eyes makes my stomach churn. He thinks he’s won. Beside me, Dominicus has
Diana I clench my fists, my nails biting into my palms as Elder Lyra’s voice cuts through the room. “Do you swear that the words you spoke before this Council are the truth?” she asks, eyes trained on the two Omegas, her tone clipped and icy, though an unmistakeable undertone of satisfaction weaves through her words. The Omegas exchange nervous glances, their hands twisting together anxiously. The young man, his hollowed eyes darting toward Marcus as if seeking permission or reassurance, finally stammers, “Y-yes… I swear.” The others follow in halting voices, echoing his claim. Their testimonies, vague and riddled with half-truths, seem intentionally crafted to sound plausible. Every word is designed to nudge the narrative closer to a damning conclusion. But I know they’re lies. Every. Single. Word. I glance at Marcus. He still stands stiffly, his pale face damp with sweat, but his eyes gleam with the triumph of someone who thinks they’ve won. My fury deepens. The coward thinks
Diana The room goes silent. The Elders freeze in place and some look quite discomforted. Out the corner of my eye, I see the Omega’s faces drain of color, their mouths opening and closing, but no words come out. With cold satisfaction, I watch as Beta Marcus pales, beads of sweat forming on his forehead, his eyes dart around the room as if searching for an escape route. His leg begins to shake, in a telltale sign of his unraveling nerves. His smug confidence has shattered, and now, desperation oozes from him. But it is Alpha Darius who holds my attention. His stern, grief-lined face had hardened as my words echo in the room. His eyes narrow, glinting with suspicion, and his gaze shifts from me to Marcus. The shift is subtle at first, but then it sharpens. His focus on Marcus is no longer casual; it’s the weighty, burning stare of an Alpha seething with rage. Marcus visibly recoils under that stare. It’s as though Alpha Darius’s fury has physical form, pressing down on him like a cr
Diana “And as for the Omegas,” she continues, her tone dripping with disdain, “you’ve seized on minor discrepancies in their testimonies—three minutes, five minutes—as if that’s enough to discredit their entire account. But nervousness can affect memory. Fear can make details blur. What matters is the consistency of their core story. They saw you and Gamma Billy-“ Except they didn’t. “-They witnessed what happened.” I snap, unable to hold back any longer. “How could they witness something that didn’t even happen?!” “Enough,” she cuts me off, her voice like ice. “Your objections are noted, but they hold no weight here. You are not the judge of this Council. We are.” My chest heaves with suppressed frustration. She’s twisting everything, bending logic to fit their narrative. Elder Lyra leans forward, her eyes narrowing as she casts a glance at the Omegas, who are still trying to compose themselves after the shock I’ve just delivered. “You’re creating a fantasy, Diana. A
Diana If he could grow wings, Marcus would have sprouted a pair right now and flown around the room. That’s how smug and ecstatic he looks, practically vibrating with delight as Elder Lyra speaks. I watch him with cold, steady eyes. My gaze turns back to the Elders table. “Finally,” Elder Lyra says, her voice low and deliberate, “we come to the most damning aspect of this case: the state of the boy’s body.” Her gaze hardens, and she staightens. “The boy’s body was burned. That much is undeniable. Burned to such an extent that no clear evidence of the perpetrator remains. But the timing, the location, and the desperation of such an act tell us everything we need to know.” Her eyes narrowing as she looks at me. “This was no accident, no moment of blind rage. This was a calculated attempt to destroy evidence—to hide the truth. And who, Miss Castellanos, would have the greatest motivation to do such a thing?” I hold her gaze, refusing to react. The weight of the accusation, th
Diana “Irrelevant details? You mean the glaring contradictions in your so-called evidence? The impossibilities in your timeline? The complete lack of logic in the witnesses’ story? Also-“ I glance at the huddling Omega before looking back at her, “how can you just willingly take the testimony of an Omega on behalf of someone else at face value?” I’m not trying to he discriminatory at all. But it’s also the truth that Omega, being the lowest class of wolves are at the complete mercy of the higher ranking wolves in the pack. It would be so easy to coerce them into give a false testimony- just as Marcus has done now. And a body as wise and knowledgable as the Council should be aware of this fact. “It’s obvious they’re being forced”, and the female Omega actually flinches when I say this, her head bowing even lower. Displeased as I am with them, I can’t find it in me to blame them. They are merely pawns in this game. Victims in their own right. As someone who has been in th
Diana I spot Dom waiting just down the hall, his arms crossed, his sharp eyes flick up as soon as come out me. His face softens—just slightly—and he reaches out. I walk up to him and slip my hand into his. Eleanor falls into step behind us, quiet and peaceful, her presence a steady pulse at my back. Together, the three of us move toward the wide double doors at the end of the hall—the conference room where today’s meeting is about to hold. The air feels thicker here, heavy with the scent of too many wolves, sharp anticipation, and something almost metallic — the bracing edge of challenge, perhaps, or simply the weight of so many packs gathered under one roof. As we near, an Amadeus warrior steps forward. Clyde. He bows smoothly. “Alpha. Luna.” He gives Eleanor a polite nod. “Ma’am.” Dom gives him a curt nod in return, but I offer Clyde a small smile. Eleanor answers warmly, “Hello dear.” Clyde straightens and says, “The packs have brought a fair number of warriors w
DianaI blink, brow arching. Magnus almost mated to someone? That’s news to me.Can’t find it in me to care.The first girl nods eagerly. “Exactly! And it was super suspicious. It was supposed to be this huge deal — even our Alpha was invited — but just a week before the ceremony, it was called off.” She waves her hands for emphasis; the others nod vigorously.She leans in, voice dropping. “I heard Natasha left Zervos and went back to the Silvanus pack, then mated with an Omega from Plena Luna.”Another round of wide eyes and startled gasps.“It’s obvious why the ceremony was canceled,” she smirks. “Natasha met her real mate. Everyone thought Magnus set the match because he hadn’t found his mate yet… but he had. And he rejected her!”The gasps turn into soft curses. I catch words like scum and bastard tossed out under their breath, and I have to bite my lip to keep from laughing.The third girl eagerly nudges the first. “And? And?! What else?”The first girl glances around, then leans
DianaWhat were they thinking?A low voice, warm and smug, ghosts by my ear.“See?” Dominicus says. “I won.”I don’t turn. I can feel the smirk behind his voice and the presence of him just a breath away.I shake my head slowly, incredulous. “They actually came…”“And with a whole damn parade,” he says with a huff of amusement.“Pompousness and posturing,” I mutter.He chuckles. “That’s what you bet against, dulcis.”I scowl, still watching the arrivals, still baffled by the absurdity of it all.“And now,” he says, voice low as he leans down slightly, “you owe me.”I start to ask what the terms were again, but then I feel his lips brush the shell of my ear, and his whispered words burn hotter than sunlight across my skin.My breath catches. My entire body flushes.Damn him.Dom steps back and with a sweeping motion of his arm, the corners of his mouth quirking upward, he says, “Ladies, shall we?”I pull my gaze away from the window, and roll my eyes at him. “Lets.”Behind me, Eleanor
Diana “You’re on speaker, Alpha. They can all hear you now.” Dominicus doesn’t waste a breath. “Good,” he says, his tone flat, cold. “Then listen closely because this-“ he pauses, just long enough to make the weight of his next words settle into their bones, “—is the key to a ‘peaceful retirement’ for all of you.” There’s no trace of politeness. No deference. Only the weight of his authority, sharp as steel. The line is silent. No one dares interrupt. “Of the thirty-seven packs–,” he continues, “you each used to run one of the major nine.” Ten now - The Amadeus pack is back, I muse. “The rest of the smaller — scattered, less resourced packs are no less important. Therefore you are not only to go back to your own packs. You will each take responsibility for informing the Alphas of the minor packs in your regions. I don’t care how you do. Just get it done.” He paces a little, jaw tight. “You will tell them witches exist. You will tell them that dark witches have returned — tha
Diana Billy takes a step forward and wraps me in his warm bear hug. I bury my face in his chest and hug him just as tight. He steps back, “See you in a bit, kid”, and with a little wave, turns around and strides back towards the cars. I watch as they begin to pile into the SUVs, Billy among them. He gives me one last wink, grinning crookedly before ducking into the lead car. The low growl of the engines rises as the vehicles roll down the driveway, kicking up small clouds of dust and mist in their wake. I watch until the last taillight vanishes into the mist. A warm arm curls around my shoulders, anchoring me to the earth. Dominicus presses a kiss to my temple, his voice a soft murmur against my hair. “Don’t worry, dulcis. They’ll be fine. And they’ll bring her back safely.” I close my eyes for a moment, breathing him in, clinging to the hope stitched into his words. I hope so. For Billy’s sake. For Emerald’s sake. For all of us…We don’t go inside right away.
Diana “Wake me up early?” I mumble, already half-drifting again. “I wanna see Billy off in the morning.” “I will,” he promises, kissing the top of my head. Silence falls between us, soft and fragile. I’m just on the edge of sleep when his voice comes again, low and rough and achingly sincere. “Dulcis…” I hum in acknowledgment, too tired to form a real word. “The reason I’m not stopping you from fighting this war… isn’t because I care about you any less. I hope you know that. Right?” Something in his tone — the raw inflection, the brittle edge — tugs at me, pulling me back to him. I blink my eyes open and tilt my head up to look at him. In the muted light, his face is shadowed, but I can see it — the tightness around his mouth, the faint crease between his brows. And in his eyes — gods — there’s worry. Guilt. And buried much deeper, a sliver of fear so raw it makes my heart ache. I know what he’s thinking - what is weighing on him. It’s Billy’s words, thro
Diana Dominicus gently kisses my tears away before gathering me up into his arms as he gets off the bed. “Let’s get you clean and ready for bed”, he says and I hum in reply. I nestle against him, feeling the steady thrum of his heart under my cheek as he carries me across the room. I murmur sleepily, “Don’t get my hair wet. I wanna enjoy my silk press a little longer…” My voice is soft, half-drowsy. He halts mid-step and looks down at me. Them he chuckles, low and warm, the sound vibrating through his chest. “Of course, dulcis,” he says, amused. When we get to the bathroom, he sets me down on the counter and finds the shower cap tucked into a drawer. I watch him through heavy-lidded eyes as he approaches, his expression utterly tender. With careful hands, he gathers my hair — cradling it like something precious — and slips the cap over my head. His fingers linger against my scalp for a moment, tracing the shape of it, before he presses a kiss to my forehead. “There
Diana I arch against him instinctively, a broken sound escaping my lips. Dominicus buries his face in the crook of my neck, groaning low and deep, his breath hot against my skin. “Mine,” he whispers against my throat, his voice hoarse, almost desperate. “Always mine, dulcis.” I cling to him, nails digging into his back, overwhelmed by the sheer intimacy of it — the way we fit, the way our bodies and hearts and souls seem to lock together in a way that feels eternal. He begins to move, slow at first, each thrust deliberate, worshipful. I match him, needing him, needing this — this fusion, with an intensity that shakes my very soul. Dominicus moves inside me, deeper, harder, each thrust stealing the breath from my lungs. I cling to him, lost, trembling, my nails digging into his shoulders, needing more, needing everything. His name falls from my lips again and again, a broken, worshipful prayer. The heat coils low in my belly, winding tighter and tighter, until I’m
Content Warning: This chapter contains intimate R-18 scenesDiana His heavy-lidded eyes, so dark it sends a shiver down my spine have something within them other than just lust: It’s love. It’s trust. It’s need. But somehow, it still doesn’t feel like enough. Not yet. I want to give him everything. I want to make him feel even a fraction of what he’s made me feel today. What he makes me feel all the time. My cheeks flush as the idea takes root — daring, impulsive, raw — but I don’t hesitate. I trail kisses down his chest, my hands smoothing over his ribs, his waist, lower still. When he realizes what I intend, he catches my wrist gently. “Dulcis,” he says, his voice rough, wrecked. “I want to,” I whisper fiercely. “Please, Dom. Let me.” For a moment, he just looks at me. Then he nods once, slowly, his throat bobbing as he swallows. I look down at his member. A whimper escapes me as the ache between my legs intensifies. It’s so big- steel wrapped in s