Chapter Twelve

Alpha’s Fury

The celebration had long ended, but the halls of the Blood Moon Pack were not quiet. Shouts echoed through the corridors, boots pounding against stone as warriors rushed back and forth. The scent of blood lingered in the air, faint but unmistakable.

Alpha Derrick stood at the center of the chaos, his body coiled with rage. His sharp features, usually composed, twisted into a mask of fury. His amber eyes blazed like wildfire as he seized the arm of a returning hunter.

“You failed me,” he snarled, his voice like thunder.

The wolf dropped to his knees, trembling. His body was bloodied, his armor torn, though not by claws Derrick recognized. “She—she fought back, Alpha. The girl—”

“The girl?” Derrick spat, his grip tightening until the hunter whimpered. “You mean Kimberly. My rejected mate. My property.” He released the warrior with a shove that sent him sprawling. “Speak carefully, or I’ll rip the tongue from your mouth.”

The warrior gasped for breath. “She wasn’t weak. She used… shadows. Power I’ve never seen.” His voice trembled. “It wasn’t natural.”

Silence fell. Every ear in the hall strained toward his words.

Derrick’s jaw clenched. He didn’t want to believe it. Kimberly had been a disappointment since birth—small, frail, voiceless. Tonight had only proven what he already knew: she was unworthy of him. He had chosen Mona, the golden sister, the perfect Luna. That was the future. That was the plan.

But now… shadows?

A low growl rumbled in his chest. If there was one thing Derrick hated more than weakness, it was betrayal. And Kimberly had given him both.

“She was supposed to be bound,” Derrick muttered, more to himself than anyone else. “Broken. Nothing more than a lesson in obedience. Instead, she defies me.” His voice rose, echoing through the hall. “And she dares to draw blood from my men!”

Catherine appeared then, gliding into the room like smoke. Her crimson gown shimmered, her sharp smile gleaming. “Derrick, darling, perhaps you overestimate her. Kimberly is no threat. She’s a wounded pup running on desperation. She won’t last long.”

But Mona was there too, standing slightly behind her mother, and the smirk on her lips told a different story. “Or perhaps she’s cleverer than you thought, Alpha,” she said sweetly, though venom dripped from every word. “Kimberly has always been good at pretending. Maybe she’s been hiding her strength all along.”

Derrick turned on her, eyes narrowing. “Are you defending her?”

Mona’s smirk faded, replaced by feigned innocence. “Of course not. I only mean to warn you—underestimating Kimberly is what allowed her to escape in the first place.”

Her words struck, though Derrick loathed admitting it. He paced the floor like a caged beast, fury radiating from him in waves. Kimberly had embarrassed him. Before his warriors. Before his Luna. Before himself.

“She thinks she can run,” Derrick growled. “Thinks she can hide. But she cannot. She is mine.” He slammed his fist into the table, splintering wood. “And I will drag her back by her hair if I must.”

Catherine stepped forward, her voice smooth as silk. “Then do what must be done, Alpha. Put a bounty on her head. Every wolf within a hundred miles will be searching. She won’t last a week.”

But Mona’s eyes gleamed, her voice softer, slyer. “Or you could make it a hunt. Announce it to the entire pack. Kimberly’s blood for glory. Whoever captures her proves their worth to you, Alpha. It would remind everyone that you decide fates. That no one escapes your judgment.”

Derrick paused, considering. The idea had teeth. Kimberly’s defiance wasn’t just a personal insult—it was a challenge to his power. If word spread that she had escaped, that she had fought off his hunters, others might question his authority. That could not be allowed.

He turned, eyes sweeping over the gathered warriors. “Summon the pack,” he commanded. “Every wolf. Every fighter. Tomorrow at dawn, the hunt begins.”

The warriors bowed, murmurs of excitement and bloodlust rippling through the hall. Catherine’s smile widened, proud of her Alpha’s brutality.

But Mona only lowered her gaze, hiding the flicker of triumph in her eyes. Because while Derrick thought only of punishing Kimberly, Mona knew the truth. Kimberly’s survival would be agony enough.

Derrick stalked toward the great doors, his voice booming so that no wolf could mistake his intent. “Kimberly Moonstone is no daughter of this pack. No sister. No mate. She is prey.” His lips curled into a snarl. “And prey does not escape the Blood Alpha.”

The hall erupted in howls, the pack’s bloodlust ignited.

But in the corner, hidden in shadow, Mona’s smile curved. Because she had seen the fear in Derrick’s eyes when the hunter had spoken of shadows. She had seen the doubt he tried to bury.

And she knew—Kimberly wasn’t broken any

more.

She was becoming something far more dangerous.