LOGINZAHRA-ROSESince it was already late, we reached the Royal Archives late. The old librarian looked genuinely startled to see us return so late, especially with the Alpha himself leading the way, but he asked no questions.Perhaps the tension rolling off Ashvin's wolf warned him not to.With a silent nod, he unlocked the heavy iron gate and stepped aside.The moment we entered, Ashvin moved.He crossed the archive in long, urgent strides and went straight to the shelf where the book had fallen earlier that day we had been researching.He pulled it free and placed it carefully on the nearest round table before disappearing between the towering shelves again.Aly and I exchanged a confused glance.Neither of us had any idea what he had discovered.When he returned, he carried three books in his arms.The Royal Succession Book, The Royal Bloodlines, Historical Marriage Records.He set them down one by one.The sound echoed unnaturally loud in the sleeping archive."What are
I had been waiting ever since Ashvin left for the council meeting, anticipating the moment he would return and tell us the decision reached by him and his Elders.Was it finally time for us to leave this pack and return to MoonBright? Or was there still a chance for us to remain here?I didn’t want to overthink it, nor did I want to place him in an impossible position.He was the Alpha of one of the strongest packs in the realms. His first allegiance would always be to his wolves.One kiss couldn’t erase that. One kiss couldn’t make him forsake his pack for mine.Besides, Francis’ final words had refused to leave my mind.‘Again.’That single word echoed endlessly inside my head.‘Don’t let them bury your father’s name… again.’What had he meant?Who had been erased before my father?The sound of my door opening made me lift my head.Luna Verena walked into my quarters without waiting to be invited.The sight of her dragged every memory of that tower back to the surface.
ZAHRA-ROSEAlyaanah, Erica, and Macus sat with me in my sitting room, all of us trying to make sense of everything that had happened.Aly paced back and forth, her frustration obvious with every step she took.She wasn’t the only one struggling.I had replayed everything in my head countless times, searching for a single answer.I had found none.“Whoever set us up knew exactly what they were doing,” Aly said, stopping long enough to look at us. “This is what they wanted.”“Chaos, and now they’ve got it.”I nodded.The rumors about me searching for Francis had already spread through both packs.Now everyone wanted to know why I had been looking for him.Whether his death had anything to do with me.No matter what explanation I gave, I already knew the truth wouldn’t matter.Someone had carefully planted this seed.“I should tell Ashvin what his father said,” I murmured. “If he knows that conversation led to us calling the meeting, perhaps……”“No.”Aly cut me off immedi
ALPHA ASHVINShe hadn’t moved.The gathering grounds had emptied long ago. The last of the Moonshine wolves had returned to their duties, while the Moonbright wolves had retreated to the quarters assigned to them. Even the lingering scent of fear had begun to fade beneath the afternoon breeze.Yet she remained.Standing exactly where I had left her.Motionless.Her gaze was fixed on the place where Francis’ body had been carried away, as though if she stared long enough, she could somehow undo what had happened.For a moment, I simply watched her.The she-wolf who had fought for her own identity.Who had survived betrayal, loss, and a prophecy she never asked for.Who had carried burdens no one her age should ever have to bear.Now she looked utterly lost.Zen shifted uneasily beneath my skin.“She’s hurting.”‘I know.’ The words barely formed in my mind.I took one step then another.Each one felt heavier than the last.This wasn’t another dispute for me to settle as Alpha.This wasn
ASHVINKai had sent word almost immediately after reaching wherever Zahra-Rose and the Moonbright wolves were gathered. The urgency in his voice had been enough to make me leave my work unfinished.Now standing at the edge of the gathering I immediately understood why, the place was in chaos.Pack members crowded around in clusters, voices overlapped, accusations and anger ran through the place.Words I hadn’t heard clearly yet but knew weren’t good.What could have caused this level of unrest?The moment they noticed me the crowd split.Like water making way. I walked forward and then I saw them, two bodies lying on the ground.My eyes sharpened.The scent hit immediately, they were moonshine wolves. My pack wolves. My jaw tightened.Around me the tension thickened.Looking up, I recognized the two Elders who had come to my office.My mother stood nearby, Asael too, watching me and judging.My eyes continued scanning until I found her, Zahra.She stood frozen, her eyes
ASHVINI had been carrying this strange sense of euphoria ever since that kiss happened two days ago.I didn’t know how I had managed to go this long without kissing her because now that I had, I wanted more.After that kiss and everything that followed, we had stayed in the library for another hour pretending to search through records while trying very hard to keep our hands to ourselves.At least on my end.I tried not to linger too close, tried not to scent her more than necessary.But the memory of her lips kept returning at the worst moments and I knew that wasn’t what we needed right now.‘That makes two of us.’Zen sounded entirely too pleased.Ever since the kiss, he had been restless, excited.The mate bond had never felt this alive.It felt like something inside us had finally settled into place.Like the bond itself recognized the change and welcomed it.I felt her more now, the happiness she had been carrying.The warmth, the small bursts of excitement she pr
I woke up that morning and, for the first time in a very long time, I didn't feel anxious.Instead, I woke up with excitement buzzing beneath my skin.The events of the previous day, the feeling of being accepted, the respect in the pack's eyes, and the walk I had shared with Ashvin afterward had l
ASHVINThe ground beneath my feet pulses again.There I feel it. It was faint but real.Zahra.My head snaps up, eyes locking onto the empty space in front of me.“She’s there,” I say, my voice low, deadly certain.We have been here ever since that moment Zen felt their presence. I knew she was in
As the search for my mother and sisters continued, I tried to stay calm, pushing back the constant wave of worry threatening to drown me. But whenever I was alone, the tears would come, unrelenting, no matter how hard I tried to hold them back. How could I not worry? The people I loved most in the
The humiliation still clung to me like a stubborn shadow, impossible to shake. No matter how many drinks I downed, the memory of being left standing at the altar alone, humiliated, and exposed before countless witnesses was a weight I couldn’t lift.I tilted the glass in my hand, swallowing the las







