🔥 Eugene has survived the poison, but Desmond’s heir changes everything. Will Eugene’s strength—and his bond with Becca—be enough to withstand the storm, or will Desmond’s legacy destroy them all? 👉 Check out the next chapter.
The morning sun spilled across the Blackwood Pack’s courtyard like a golden crown, bathing everything in a light that felt almost regal.Seraphina walked forward with her head held high, her gait deliberate, every step dripping with pride. Behind her trailed two young maids who carried the edges of her velvet cloak so it wouldn’t drag against the ground. Their faces were drawn with weariness, but not a single complaint slipped from their lips. They knew better.Seraphina, after all, was no ordinary she-wolf now. She was the Luna carrying the heir to the Blackwood Pack.Her hand brushed across her belly with practiced elegance, her smile sharp.“Straighten your shoulders,” Seraphina hissed suddenly, snapping her gaze at one of the girls. The girl flinched, nearly stumbling. “Do not walk behind me as though you are being dragged to slaughter. You are in the service of your Luna Queen.”“Y-Yes, my lady,” Meera stammered, adjusting quickly, her cheeks flushing red.“Not ‘my lady.’” Sera
The first sensation Alpha Eugene felt as he drifted back into consciousness was a deep heaviness pressing on his chest, as if something was weighing him down. His head throbbed faintly, a dull reminder of battle. The world returned to him slowly—first in scattered fragments, then in heavy waves that forced his eyes open.Why am I here?His mind scrambled for an answer. And then, his memory came flooding back.The fight that had ended with Eugene knocking Desmond to the ground before the pain became unbearable. He remembered the way his legs had faltered, how his lungs had struggled for air, and then everything dissolved into darkness.He froze, his hand moving instinctively to his side.His fingers brushed over smooth, healed skin where there should have been agony and torn flesh. It had to be Becca. She must have dragged him here. She must have healed him.He exhaled slowly, trying to piece it all together.But a soft sound drew his attention.Turning his head, Eugene finally noti
The Council members sat in a crescent formation behind the long, dark oak table, their silver medallions catching the flicker of the lanterns. Seraphina sat in the center of the room, her hands folded neatly on her lap.The examination had been meticulous with the use of cold metal instruments, bitter-tasting tonics, questions asked in the clinical tone of healers who cared more about truth than comfort. When the healer finally nodded, a younger attendant escorted her out.“Wait outside,” Councillor Hadrian said, his voice firm. “We will review the findings and call you when we are ready.”The words echoed in her mind as she stepped into the hallway.The air beyond the chamber was cooler, with stone walls lined in heavy tapestries depicting the history of the Alpha Kings—a lineage of wolves who had seized their thrones through dominance and cunning. Each face on those woven murals seemed to stare at her, judging.Seraphina kept her spine straight, her chin lifted. Her gown swished
The smell of crushed herbs and boiling water hung in the air like a heavy fog, curling around Alpha Desmond’s senses and dragging him reluctantly toward consciousness. The first thing he became aware of was the muted flicker of torchlight through his eyelids. The second was the sickly-sweet scent of medicinal salves clinging stubbornly to his skin. And then—touch. Soft, delicate fingers pressing a damp cloth to his forehead.His eyes snapped open.White-painted beams arched above him, the ceiling of the Royal Infirmary, lit in warm tones that clashed with the chill in his chest. He blinked twice, trying to gather his thoughts, but what met his gaze made his lips curl in disgust.Two of Becca’s maids hovered at his bedside, their wrists adorned with the signature gold bracelets that marked them as her personal attendants. One was adjusting the blanket over his chest; the other leaned in to wipe at a smear of dried blood on his arm.Desmond’s pulse spiked.“Get. Your. Hands. Off me.
The air inside the infirmary was thick with the sterile tang of antiseptic and the faint, metallic sting of blood. The moonlight filtering through the tall, frosted windows painted pale silver streaks across the white-tiled floor. The sharp click of Becca’s tools against the metal tray echoed in the otherwise hushed room, broken only by Alpha Eugene’s ragged breathing.Becca’s brow glistened with sweat as she plucked the final sliver of poisoned claw from the deep gash along Eugene’s ribs. The wound was angry and swollen, its edges blackened from the venom Alpha Desmond had buried in his flesh. She moved with precision, her tired fingers steady despite the hour, despite the tension twisting in her stomach.All she care about was to save his life.She had been working for nearly an hour, and the stench of the poison still lingered, stubborn and nauseating. A part of her wondered if she was fighting a losing battle—until she finally dropped the last curved fragment into the small g
The room was too quiet.Seraphina had been sitting in the same chair for what felt like an eternity, her gaze fixed on the clock on the mantel. Every tick of its delicate hands seemed to mock her, each second stretching into something unbearable.She hated waiting.With a sharp exhale, she rose from the chair.The long hem of her gown swept across the polished floor as she began to pace. Her maids, three young women with their hair perfectly braided and their hands folded in front of them, stood near the far wall watching her anxiously.“My lady,” one of them ventured softly, “perhaps you should rest until—”“Rest?” Seraphina turned on her, her eyes flashing like shards of green glass. “Do I look like I’m capable of resting?”The girl flinched. “I only meant—”“I know what you meant,” Seraphina cut in, the edge of her tone slicing through the air. “And if you have nothing useful to say, keep your mouth shut.”The other two maids exchanged uneasy glances.She stalked past them again