LOGINThe servants' quarters were unusually busy that morning. Maidservants hurried from room to room carrying baskets of laundry.Others scrubbed floors, polished furniture, or prepared linens for the guest chambers.The entire area buzzed with activity and at the center of it all stood a very unhappy Greta.A broom rested in her hands as she aggressively swept the floor with far more force than necessary.Dust scattered across the wooden boards and a nearby maid jumped back."Greta!""What?" Greta snapped.The younger maid frowned."You almost hit my feet" she said.Greta rolled her eyes."Then move your feet" she replied fiercely. The girl looked offended as Greta immediately resumed sweeping.The younger maid muttered something under her breath before walking away but Greta ignored her.The truth was that her mood had been terrible ever since Mira reclaimed authority over the household staff.Once upon a time, Greta had been head maid, important, respected and feared by some.Now she w
Becca hated feeling weak. She had spent most of the night unconscious, trapped between darkness and pain while everyone around her fought to keep her and her unborn child alive.Now morning had fully settled over the Blackwood mansion, and golden sunlight streamed through the tall windows of the healer's chambers.The warmth should have been comforting. Instead, it made her restless. She was tired of lying in bed, tired of being treated like glass and most of all, tired of feeling helpless.Slowly, Becca pushed the blankets aside. Immediately, Tyler looked up from where he sat near the window."I don't think that's okay" he said.Becca blinked."Really?""No" he said.The answer came far too quickly.The healer, who was sorting herbs nearby, looked over her shoulder."I agree with him" she said.Becca sighed dramatically."Nobody asked either of you" she replied. Tyler folded his arms."You almost died yesterday" he reminded her."I didn't" Becca countered. "You almost did" he said
The atmosphere inside Eugene’s study was tense.Several maps were spread across the large oak desk while others hung pinned against the walls with markings indicating patrol routes, rogue sightings, and border reports from neighboring territories.The room smelled faintly of parchment, ink, and frustration that belonged almost entirely to Eugene.The Alpha King stood at the center of the room with his hands braced against the desk while his eyes remained fixed on one particular map.Max stood nearby and so did the new commander of Blackwood’s guard. Neither looked particularly eager to be the one to tell Alpha Eugene that finding the rogues would take time.Unfortunately, the commander had no choice."Alpha Eugene, the forest is large" he said carefully.Eugene's gaze never lifted from the map."I know how large my forest is" he said.The commander swallowed."We've already dispatched scouts.""Not enough.""Alpha Eugene—""Double them" he cut him off.The commander exchanged a helple
Morning sunlight filtered softly through the curtains of the healer’s chambers.For the first time in what felt like forever, the room felt peaceful.Becca stirred weakly beneath the blankets. A small frown appeared on her face as consciousness slowly returned.Everything felt strangely heavy, her body ached, her head felt foggy and fragments of last night flashed through her mind.Becca’s eyes immediately flew open and her hand shot instinctively to her stomach."The baby" She whispered. Her breathing quickened then she realized the pain wasn't nearly as bad. In fact, she felt significantly better than she remembered.Confused, Becca slowly pushed herself up against the pillows.That was when she noticed she wasn't alone.A man sat quietly in a chair beside her bed.He was tall, broad-shouldered, dark-haired and silver-eyed. He looked calm despite clearly having spent hours sitting there.The morning sunlight illuminated part of his face and despite how intimidating he appeared, the
Greta couldn’t breathe. Her entire body had gone stiff with terror as she stared at the dead rogue sprawled across the dusty floor.Blood slowly spread beneath the corpse while the man’s neck remained twisted at a horrifying angle that no living wolf could survive.Standing there beneath the dim lantern light in simple servant clothing, he looked nothing like the former Alpha King who once ruled the Blackwood pack beside Luna Queen Seraphina and yet, Greta had never been more terrified of him than she was now.Her pulse hammered painfully against her chest while her frightened eyes remained locked on him.Desmond slowly turned fully toward her and she instinctively took a shaky step backward.Desmond noticed immediately but his expression remained calm.“Greta,” he said quietly.Her breath caught instantly. She swallowed nervously while lowering her gaze slightly.“M-My Alpha…”The title slipped out instinctively despite the fact that Eugene ruled now.“You seem frightened,” Desmond o
The Blackwood mansion had finally grown quieter despite the earlier news that had descended not too long ago.Most servants had retreated to their quarters after hearing Luna Becca and her unborn child were no longer dying.The guards had relaxed slightly and many believed the worst of the night had finally passed but they were terribly wrong.Far away from the healer’s chambers, the worried faces and whispered prayers, Desmond moved silently through one of the abandoned sections of the mansion.The northern wing had long been forgotten by most residents after part of it suffered damage years ago during a territorial attack.Now it remained mostly empty with dusty hallways, broken furniture covered in white sheets and dark corners untouched for years.It was the perfect place for secret meetings.Desmond walked calmly through the darkness with one hand tucked behind his back while irritation simmered beneath his composed expression.His sharp eyes scanned the empty corridor carefully
The room chosen for the meeting sat deep within the resistance hideout, carved from stone and reinforced with thick wooden beams that bore the marks of old battles and newer desperation. Oil lamps burned low along the walls, their flames steady, casting long shadows that stretched and shifted in t
Max ripped his claws free from a soldier’s chest and pushed the body aside with a snarl.The wolf collapsed to the floor, blood already pooling beneath him, dark and steaming in the torchlight. Around him, the resistance hideout had become a battlefield carved straight from hell.Screams echoed th
The first thing Mira noticed was the smell of soap and beneath it all was an iron, metallic taste of fear that made her stomach turn.Mira kept her head down as she was moved into the long, narrow corridor leading to the lower servants’ wing. Her wrists ached faintly from the guard’s tight grip, a
Becca lay on the bed with her eyes open, staring at the dark canopy above her as if it might give her answers if she stared long enough. The room was too quiet with no distant laughter, no wind rattling the windows, no comforting hum of life beyond the walls.Every time she closed her eyes, her mi







