Chapter 4

With my own hands, I carved Lucia’s and my name on wooden stakes.

“Here rests Lucia and Talia Wilkin.”

As of now, Lucia and I were no longer tied to the Luther Pack.

There was no place for the Hems brothers in our grave.

By the time I was done, my health had declined rapidly.

I crawled into the excavated pit with great effort and cradled my sister’s urn in a fetal position.

With the moist soil offering me some solace, I closed my eyes.

It was at that moment that I felt myself returning to life in its rawest essence.

As my consciousness faded during my last breath, I sensed nothing but peace and relief.

‘I’m coming for you, Lucia. Are you still waiting for me?’

Yet, she was not there.

My soul rose from my physical body, only to find emptiness all around. Lucia was nowhere to be seen.

Finding me lying lifelessly in the grave, the groundskeeper sighed.

He covered the burial site with loose earth and picked a handful of fresh flowers for us.

I had no time to express my gratitude as my utmost priority was to seek Lucia out.

My soul drifted high and low over the Luther Pack territory like a kite.

Instead of running into Lucia, I spotted Blake and Kaden in the pack’s biggest event hall.

They were holding a massive gathering.

As it turned out, the Blood Rite of Samantha’s pup was underway.

It was a grand event with nearly every pack member in attendance.

Even members of the nearby packs were there to witness the pup who was in the Moon Goddess’ favor.

Cradling the pup, Samantha was surrounded by the werewolves like a regal Luna.

The Alpha brothers, whose focus was supposed to be on her, seemed pretty distracted today.

“Still can’t reach Lucia and Talia?”

Kaden grimaced irritably.

“This is outrageous. They are sticking to their guns this time. Do they think that we won’t take away their place as Lunas?”

He tried my number again, but the call went unanswered.

Blake let out a sigh.

“Talia is carrying, so her mood swings are understandable, but Lucia should know better. I can’t believe she’s going along with the sheer absurdity of it.

“So, I told her to cook a good meal for Samantha. Is that reason to drop everything and run off?”

Kaden threw his phone down with a sneer.

“I get that she’s expecting a pup, but Samantha wasn’t this dramatic when she had her pup. If that’s how they want it, they better not come back ever!”

Before Blake could say anything more, the Beta approached and uttered, “The ceremony has begun.

Putting their earlier conversation aside, the Alpha brothers went up on stage to perform the ritual for Samantha’s pup.

The guests offered their most heartfelt wishes.

“The Luna and her pup are blessed to be adored by the twin Alphas.”

The chatter among the guests did not sit well with the Alpha brothers.

“Samantha is like a sister to us. She’s not our Luna. We are mated to someone else.”

The visitors from neighboring packs clearly hadn’t grasped the dynamics between them.

“She’s not? How did her pup gain the privilege of becoming the next Alpha?”

“I heard that Alpha Kaden’s Luna is expecting. Can’t his pup step into the role of an Alpha?”

“His Luna must have stormed off. Thank Moon Goddess that our Alpha is wiser than that.”

The neighboring pack’s ridicule drew scowls from the two Alphas.

“Find Lucia and Talia and bring them back now.”

Blake and Kaden needed to retrieve us to shut every werewolf up.

With Lucia and me still missing, the Beta fetched a werewolf from the Council instead.

The Council representative, who had attended to me, said to the twins in surprise, “Didn’t you know? Lucia took the kidnappers down with her in a car crash three days ago.

“Also, our sworn enemies, the Cassa Pack, orchestrated the abduction in retaliation against you.

“Surely, you must know. They apparently captured the Luna to demand terms from you.

“Talia was the only survivor of the wreck, but the incident took her pup away. Due to the extent of her injuries, she won’t have more than three days to live. By now, she’s probably gone.”