The bedchamber of Alpha Desmond and Luna Seraphina was draped in silks and shadows. Seraphina reclined gracefully against the headboard, her hair tumbling in glossy curls over her silk night robe, one hand caressing her still-flat stomach with quiet triumph. The room pulsed with her pride—visible, palpable, and intoxicating. Across from her, Alpha Desmond leaned forward, a goblet of wine in his hand, his dark eyes sharp with calculation.On one of their luxurious chairs sat Councilor Margot, her posture regal, her voice soft yet cutting.Margot’s thin smile spread as she lifted her cup of tea. “Congratulations once again, Luna Seraphina. This news has changed everything.”Seraphina’s lips curved into a smug smile as her fingers drifted again over her abdomen. “The heir to Desmond’s legacy,” she said with relish, her voice dripping with self-satisfaction. “And more importantly—the heir that will secure Desmond’s rightful place as Alpha King. No council will dare strip us of that w
The room was still vibrating with the echoes of Eugene’s snarl when silence suddenly fell, as if the very air itself had been stunned into submission. His chest heaved violently, his wolf still prowling inside him like a beast clawing against a cage, but the tension that had once rattled the infirmary walls had dissolved into something quieter.Becca’s lips lingered against his for a heartbeat too long, the taste of the elixir still burning on her tongue. Her body trembled—not from fear, but from the sheer gravity of what she had just done. Her pulse thundered in her ears, her heart beating like it wanted to claw out of her chest.When she pulled back, a thin string of saliva connected them before breaking, and Eugene’s wild eyes blinked, flickering with confusion and clarity.The storm had stilled.Eugene’s claws retracted, his wolf’s growl breaking off into a ragged gasp. His gaze softened from feral madness to stunned awareness. “I…” His voice cracked, rough and low. He swallow
The infirmary was thick with tension, almost tangible enough to choke on. Mira crept along the polished floorboards, her ears straining to catch every sound as she inched toward the cabinet where the elixir had been stored. Every movement had to be calculated, silent, and careful.From across the room, she could hear the low, menacing growl of Alpha Eugene. The guttural rumble vibrated the air around her, making her skin prickle.“He’s… dangerous right now,” Mira whispered under her breath, her hands clenching. She peeked behind a rolling tray. Becca’s voice, soft but firm, drifted to her ears.“Eugene,” Becca said cautiously, keeping her eyes locked on Eugene’s glowing dark ones, “you’ve already proven your strength. You’ve already shown what happens to anyone who crosses you. But this… this is unnecessary. Please, release her before…”Ava gagged as Eugene’s grip tightened even more around her neck. Her toes scraped the floor, but it was futile; the Alpha’s fingers were like iron.
The sterile air of the infirmary was filled with a chilling sound—a growl so deep and primal that it shook the very walls of the Blackwood estate.Becca froze mid-step, her breath hitching in her throat. She had heard that sound before. Before anyone could comprehend the impossibility of it, Alpha Eugene was off the bed, moving with a swiftness that blurred the air. His hand closed around Ava’s throat, lifting her effortlessly off her feet, slamming her against the infirmary wall.Ava’s feet dangled helplessly. Her nails clawed at his wrist, her lips parting as she gasped for oxygen.Mira, Becca, and the two other maids who had been fussing around the infirmary screamed. Their eyes widened in shock at the Alpha’s sudden wake and violent assault.Becca’s heart beat loudly in her ears. "No… it can’t be…" her eyes widened in shock.The sound of Ava’s desperate gasp.for air filled the room. Eugene’s grip tightened, his face a terrifying mask of fury.“What,” he snarled, his voice a gut
The infirmary, moments ago filled with the quiet rustle of linens and the faint laughter of maids, now froze into suffocating silence.Becca’s breath hitched as she stared at the figure in the doorway. Ava. The woman who had been suspended. The woman who, by Eugene’s orders, had no place in the Blackwood mansion.Yet here she stood.Her hair gleamed under the weak rays of the sun slipping past the windowpanes. Her lips curled in a smile too sharp to be kind and too mocking to be polite. She leaned lazily against the doorframe, as though she owned the room, as though the rules that bound everyone else had never once touched her.Becca’s chest tightened with fury. Mira rose swiftly from the bed, her wide eyes locking on the intruder.“Becca…” Mira whispered, her tone trembling. “She—she shouldn’t be here.”Becca’s body moved before her mind could catch up. She crossed the floor in long, deliberate strides, Mira at her side, the air around her growing taut with the weight of her anger.
The infirmary smelled faintly of herbs and soap, a mix of lavender and antiseptic oils that Becca had grown accustomed to these past few weeks. Sunlight filtered in through the narrow glass windows, soft golden beams falling over the row of neatly lined beds. The room was far quieter than the courtyard or the training grounds.Mira’s laughter broke the silence as she wrestled with a stubborn sheet, trying to stretch it evenly over a mattress. Her hair was tied back in a loose braid, wisps framing her flushed face from all her effort.“By the goddess, who tucks sheets this tightly?” Mira puffed, standing upright with her fists on her hips.“Apparently you don’t,” Becca teased lightly, a small smirk tugging at her lips. She was standing by the farthest bed, directing two maids who carefully folded the old linens into a basket. “If you don’t pull hard enough, the patients will twist them into a mess by the first night.”“I’m pulling,” Mira retorted, exaggerating her strength as she pu