Madeline’s POVWe stood in silence as the wind rustled around us as if sucking something from within our souls… And after a few minutes, I felt free… I felt light…When I rejected Felix, there was a heavy feeling that lingered within me, the small piece of our mate bond, which I thought I could live through and wouldn’t matter along the way. But when he spoke those words and accepted my rejection, it felt different.A subconscious smile spread from my lips as I heaved a sigh of relief. I didn’t know I was holding on.He let out a scoff that hid beneath his small smile. “Now, you’re smiling. I guess I did the right thing.”Hearing him say that made me realise that I was being a little insensitive. Indeed, he broke my heart, but he was also my childhood best friend and the one who helped me escape, and he was still helping me now.“I’m sorry,” I whispered, after all, he was here in an enemy pack and risking his life…My brows furrowed. Did he risk his life just to accept my rejection?C
Madeline’s POVMy heart stopped beating, and the bags I’m carrying slipped out of my hand, falling to the ground, while my eyes opened wide as I watched the scene before me unfold with unsettling feelings.“From the kingdom?” Keiran asked, and the messenger nodded his head as he handed the red envelope with a dry gold seal on top.Holding the letter, he looked in my direction and raised his brows. “Everything alright, Adeline?”“Adeline!” Helena smacked me in my shoulder, putting me out of the haze before she gestured at Keiran, who was still waiting for my reply.“Y-yes, of course.” I want to smack myself again for stuttering as I hurried to pick up the bags I dropped and walked together with Helena toward him.Acting clueless and nonchalant, I nodded at his hand. “What is that about?”“From the palace? Is something big happening?” Helena asked, just as curious as I was. The only difference was that her question was directed to Tom.Keiran and Tom looked at both of us weirdly before
Keiran’s POV“What’s the plan?” Tom asked as we got inside the office, setting down the invitation on my table.I look at it with disdain and shake my head before leaning back on my seat. Shrugging, I nonchalantly replied, “Greet them is all. It’s just a meeting. There’s no need for a party or anything.”“But–”He tried to protest, but I gestured a zip motion with my finger and lips. “But nothing. It’s just the royal family being spoiled brats again.”Tom looked at me hesitantly. “But won’t they think we are being disrespectful? I mean, as powerful as our pack is, it’s still the kingdom.”Sighing, I pushed the invitation his way. “Then we’ll greet them with warriors and shit at their arrival make them feel important. Anything beyond that…”I pursed my lips and waved my hand in dismissal.Tom smirked at me and shook his head in both admiration and disbelief. “I really don’t know where you’re getting your guts.”With that, he turned and left.And just as I said, it’s what we did. Early
Keiran’s POVFelix was jolted by my question, and his shoulders tensed before he subconsciously looked away. Clearing his throat, he shook his head and replied, “No.”Forcing a smile, he added, “Just... fascinated with their training, that’s all.”I narrowed my eyes, unconvinced. There was something off about him—too guarded, too rehearsed. My instincts prickled, warning me that something beneath the surface wasn’t right. Testing the waters, I tilted my head toward the training field.“Then maybe,” I said slowly, watching his expression closely, “we could stay and watch one of the sparring matches.”I pointed subtly in the direction of the field. “Those two over there—Helena and Adeline—they’re some of the best warriors in the academy. I’m sure it’ll be worth your while.”Felix flinched—just for a split second, but I caught it. He masked it quickly, but it was there. And before he could reply, Princess Amanda chimed in, her voice sugary-sweet.“Really?” she asked, tightening her grip
Madeline’s POVTuned to my wolf’s presence, my sense of smell also heightened, especially in needed times. Despite being in the middle of sparring, I immediately caught the scent of Amanda and Felix as soon as they entered the academy.When I felt them getting near us, I immediately halted and pretended to be tired.“What’s the matter?” Helena asked.Shaking my head, I stretched my fist. “Nothing, just tired. Let’s wrap this up.”“I’ll go and change first,” I muttered as I nodded toward the locker room behind her.She let out a laugh between her pants. “That’s a new one. It’s our 10th round already, but you always push yourself to the limit before. What change?”With my eyes, I looked at my peripheral vision and caught shadows of Keiran and the others closing in. “I don’t like the air.”Looking behind me, she rolled her eyes and nodded. “I get what you mean.”I only smiled at her comment and let her think that the reason I was leaving was the same as hers - the hate for royal members.
Madeline’s POV“I thought you already left, Princess?” I looked up from my seat on the ground when I heard Keiran’s voice as he approached the training ground.Amanda, who was having fun taunting me, was seated on the other side of the room, elegantly leaning back on her seat with a smirk on her face.She didn’t even bother to glance at Keiran and smirked, her eyes staring at me. “And miss all this fun?”Shifting her gaze to him, she continued, “You have a great academy. I’m just really curious about their talents.”Keiran followed Amanda’s glance at me and narrowed his eyes. I swallowed in anxiousness, knowing that sooner or later, I’d be back in his office and being interrogated.He opened his lips and uttered more words to her, but I didn’t hear their conversation anymore when someone blocked my view of them. “Why didn’t you hide?”I looked up at him and gritted my teeth. “Why are you guys here? Why didn’t you warn me?”Felix, looking half dead, shrugged his shoulders. “Will it cha
Keiran’s POV“We got a problem.”“Great!” I sarcastically thought.Just what I needed after dealing with Princess Amanda and Alpha Felix.The pile of documents in front of me was already tall enough to make me want to throw myself out the nearest window, and my inbox hadn’t stopped dinging all morning. I hadn’t even had five minutes of peace after they left before Tom showed up at my office door with that sentence.Irritably putting down the document I had in my hand and looking away from my computer, I swivelled my chair to face Tom, who was standing at my doorway with a serious expression.“What now?” I asked impatiently.Tom looked like he didn’t want to be the one to say it. His gaze shifted for a second before he sighed and admitted, “Princess Amanda and Alpha Felix decided to stay. She said she only needed to use the bathroom, but before I knew it, they were already staying in the academy and watching training.”I slammed my hands on my desk, sharply gazing at him. “And you’re o
Madeline’s POVRight after Amanda and Felix left, I went straight to my room and stayed there. I didn’t want to risk bumping into Keiran—not when I knew he’d ask questions I didn’t have the answers for.As much as I hated to admit it, I was running out of time. Things had already gone on longer than they should have, and with Amanda and Felix showing up—something told me that wouldn’t be their last visit—I could feel the pressure closing in. Sooner or later, my identity would come out. I just didn’t expect “sooner” to feel so close.It’s been two days since then. Honestly, I thought avoiding Keiran would be hard… but surprisingly, it wasn’t. I hadn’t seen him at all. Not even at the academy.Even Tom wasn’t around.“Is something going on?” I asked Helena as we sat in the canteen having lunch. The peaceful atmosphere felt off, like something was coming but hadn’t landed yet.Helena bit into her bread and shrugged like it was just another day. “In this pack? Something’s always going on.
Keiran’s POVAs soon as the door closed behind Adeline… or Madeline… no—Maddie…I groaned and dragged a hand down my face, fingers raking through my hair in frustration. I was confusing myself just trying to decide what to call her. Madeline was her real name, the one tied to her identity as a princess. But Adeline… Adeline was the one who rolled her eyes at my threats. The girl who argued with me held her ground even when I snarled.But now, the lines were blurring. I didn’t know which version of her was real anymore—or maybe, both were.Anyway, when she disappeared from sight, I picked up my phone and typed furiously. The force of my fingers against the screen mirrored my mood. The message was simple but firm: “Lock down the pack. Meeting in my office. Now.”My fingers drummed anxiously against the desk as I tried to collect my thoughts, but frustration buzzed in my skull like a hive of wasps. She’s not safe here anymore. Not with what I know now. And like I’d feared from the start
Madeline’s POV Nervousness wasn’t even the right word anymore.What I was feeling surpassed anxiety—it was like standing in the centre of a battlefield, a thousand invisible blades hovering in the air, all pointed at me, ready to strike the moment I exhaled. I just fought eight Rogues in the woods without flinching, but now, sitting in Keiran’s office, wrapped in one of his oversized shirts and staring into his cold, unreadable eyes, I felt small. Terrified. Like, I didn’t belong.The shirt hung off my body like a dress; the scent of him—cedarwood, smoke, and something uniquely his—was the only thing that grounded me. I focused on that smell, breathing it in slowly, because it kept me from falling apart completely. My wounds had begun to close, but the dried blood still stuck to my skin, making me itch. Dirt from my bare feet was smudged on the floor. Everything about me screamed out of place.And Keiran? He hadn’t moved.He stood in front of me, arms folded tightly across his ches
Keiran’s POVI was in the office with Tom, scanning the same frustrating pile of documents we’d been reading through for weeks now. My temples were throbbing with pain, and my patience was wearing thin with every page I read, and I ended up finding it useless.“This isn’t going anywhere!” I barked, slamming the papers down on the desk with a loud, echoing thud.Tom flinched but didn’t argue as he was as frustrated as I was.Like me, he looked exhausted and irritated. “I don’t know how he’s removing all his traces,” he muttered, rubbing the bridge of his nose before collapsing into the leather chair across from me. “It’s like chasing a damn ghost. No fingerprints, no slip-ups, no messages. He’s too clean. Almost like… someone big is backing him.”He didn’t have to finish the thought. I knew exactly what he was suggesting.We’d been tailing Jason ever since Adeline tipped us off. And while his behaviour had always raised questions, nothing we had so far was solid enough to justify exile
Madeline’s POVI stared at the dagger situated on the top of my dresser, feeling determination and anger fueling my veins.Glancing out my window, I watched as the sun set and the sky turned dark. Looking at the moon, I spoke, “Goddess, if you have any mercy left in me, help me. Let there be no more tragedy on my way.”With that, I decisively stood up and grabbed the dagger, clipping it in between my pants and back.Letting no fear weaken me, I stood in front of the forest and clenched my fist. “Are you ready, Andy?”“Ready as I’ll ever be…” My wolf replied, sharing her keen senses with me.Suddenly, I’m more aware of my surroundings.Walking in through the forest where I wasn’t aware of what kind of trap I’d walk into, I called out as I got nearer to the location. “Jason? Say what you want. I’m here!”Coming out of the shadows, his eyes glinted devilishly while a cruel grin spread across his lips. “Yeah… About that…”As soon as he finished, he slowly took a step back and in a matter
Madeline’s POV“Will you be waiting here for the entire day?” Keiran asked as he leaned his head back against the wall.Since the doctor came out to share the news with us, he had been sitting beside me, waiting. I could see that he was already tired, but for some reason, he stayed.Looking at his drooping eyelids, I gave him a small smile. “Go on. You can go first. I can wait here alone. Helena isn’t just my trainer in the academy. She’s also my one and only friend.”“I never said I was tired.” After saying that in a mildly cold tone, he crossed his arms over his shoulders and closed his eyes, sleeping right there.Knowing how stubborn he was, I only shook my head and mimicked him.However, it hadn’t been half an hour yet when we heard footsteps coming in. Being the first one to open my eyes, I saw Tom approaching.He mouthed, “Sleeping?”I nodded in reply and shrugged my shoulders.He breathed a couple of times as if he was building up courage before he sighed and slightly tapped Ke
Madeline’s POV“Under the floorboard… I… I found a… Lycan phone… A confidential phone….” My heart sank the moment the words left her lips. Even though I had known Jason was a spy for Mark, I stupidly assumed their communication methods were primitive—secret letters, hidden meetings deep in the forest. I never imagined they had something this direct, this dangerous.Stuttering, barely able to form the words, I asked, “Are you sure?”Helena gave a faint nod, her face pale and slick with cold sweat. “There’s a royal seal on it… I couldn’t be mistaken. I was… planning to bring it to Alpha…” She coughed again, blood staining her lips.“But then…” I started, my throat tightening as I pieced it together, “Someone caught you.” I swallowed hard. “Was it Jason?”She weakly shook her head. “No… But someone knew. Knew I found it... they tried to quiet things up. Attacked before I could leave…” Her voice was so faint I had to lean closer just to hear her.“Okay… okay… You’re gonna be fine.” My v
Madeline’s POVRight after Amanda and Felix left, I went straight to my room and stayed there. I didn’t want to risk bumping into Keiran—not when I knew he’d ask questions I didn’t have the answers for.As much as I hated to admit it, I was running out of time. Things had already gone on longer than they should have, and with Amanda and Felix showing up—something told me that wouldn’t be their last visit—I could feel the pressure closing in. Sooner or later, my identity would come out. I just didn’t expect “sooner” to feel so close.It’s been two days since then. Honestly, I thought avoiding Keiran would be hard… but surprisingly, it wasn’t. I hadn’t seen him at all. Not even at the academy.Even Tom wasn’t around.“Is something going on?” I asked Helena as we sat in the canteen having lunch. The peaceful atmosphere felt off, like something was coming but hadn’t landed yet.Helena bit into her bread and shrugged like it was just another day. “In this pack? Something’s always going on.
Keiran’s POV“We got a problem.”“Great!” I sarcastically thought.Just what I needed after dealing with Princess Amanda and Alpha Felix.The pile of documents in front of me was already tall enough to make me want to throw myself out the nearest window, and my inbox hadn’t stopped dinging all morning. I hadn’t even had five minutes of peace after they left before Tom showed up at my office door with that sentence.Irritably putting down the document I had in my hand and looking away from my computer, I swivelled my chair to face Tom, who was standing at my doorway with a serious expression.“What now?” I asked impatiently.Tom looked like he didn’t want to be the one to say it. His gaze shifted for a second before he sighed and admitted, “Princess Amanda and Alpha Felix decided to stay. She said she only needed to use the bathroom, but before I knew it, they were already staying in the academy and watching training.”I slammed my hands on my desk, sharply gazing at him. “And you’re o
Madeline’s POV“I thought you already left, Princess?” I looked up from my seat on the ground when I heard Keiran’s voice as he approached the training ground.Amanda, who was having fun taunting me, was seated on the other side of the room, elegantly leaning back on her seat with a smirk on her face.She didn’t even bother to glance at Keiran and smirked, her eyes staring at me. “And miss all this fun?”Shifting her gaze to him, she continued, “You have a great academy. I’m just really curious about their talents.”Keiran followed Amanda’s glance at me and narrowed his eyes. I swallowed in anxiousness, knowing that sooner or later, I’d be back in his office and being interrogated.He opened his lips and uttered more words to her, but I didn’t hear their conversation anymore when someone blocked my view of them. “Why didn’t you hide?”I looked up at him and gritted my teeth. “Why are you guys here? Why didn’t you warn me?”Felix, looking half dead, shrugged his shoulders. “Will it cha