Chapter 82Steps Counted Willow’s POVLina’s words were an unrelenting echo in my mind as I pulled out of the driveway. "You’re going to have a strange encounter today. When it happens, don’t react. Pretend you haven’t noticed anything."What did she mean? I hadn’t planned to leave the house until Kingston called earlier, insisting I come to his apartment for a meeting. Now, the foreboding in her tone lingered, heavy and oppressive, filling the quiet of my car. I had felt better than I did about going out before I actually left the house, now that I was driving on the lonely streets, it made me feel like I should have just stuck to my plans of staying at home.The streets were eerie under lockdown. Crescent Moon pack wasn’t known for bustling city life, but now even the little activity we usually had was nonexistent. People lingered in doorways, their gazes darting suspiciously at anything that moved. Fear hung in the air, palpable and sharp. I didn't know if it was the situation t
Chapter 83 Stranger ThingsAsher's POVThe room felt heavier than it should have. The low buzz of Axel’s voice as he dissected the dead boy’s case had become background noise. Papers covered the table, half-crumpled notes scattered amidst coffee-stained maps and crime scene photos. My head throbbed from overthinking every dead-end lead. Then Aiden stormed into the room. His arrival, usually casual and deliberate, was hurried and stiff. His hair stuck up as if he’d run his hand through it too many times, and the look in his eyes wasn’t one I liked. "Asher," he said, his voice tight. "Kingston just called." I leaned back in my chair, my eyes narrowing. "What’s the situation?" "A rogue wolf." He paused, his jaw clenching like he was still processing the words. "Kingston said they discovered one in his team." Axel scoffed, leaning forward on the table. "Rogues don’t ‘join’ teams. They attack or run. What’s the angle here?" Aiden’s next words made the air feel heavier. "He ki
Chapter 84 A Time of ChaosLina's POVThe house was too quiet. It always was when Willow wasn’t around. But, today it felt different. It was almost like she had reacted to what I felt earlier and was now left to face the consequences. I tried to steer my mind away from the negatives that could have happened, but they seemed to be all that was coming to my head since she was taking too long to return.I paced the living room, my phone gripped tightly in one hand. Every call I made went straight to voicemail, and with each unanswered ring, my worry grew. Willow had told me she’d be meeting her team at Kingston’s place, but that was hours ago. Now, there was no sign of her. "Why aren’t you picking up, Willow?" I whispered to myself, rubbing my temple. As her guardian, this was my only chance of ridding myself of a curse that was unjustly placed on me. The twins, Daniel and Ella, had been asking for their mother incessantly. Their wide, innocent eyes made it impossible to show the pa
Chapter 85 Monsters in FleshWillow's POVWhen I stirred awake, the world felt cold, still, and wrong. My head throbbed with a dull ache, and my limbs felt heavier than lead. I blinked into the darkness, trying to make sense of my surroundings, but the room offered no answers. I couldn't make out even the time of the day or night because everything was pitch black.The last thing I remembered was standing in Kingston’s house with the triplets, everyone tense as we tried to piece together what had happened to the rogue’s body. Then, like a thread snapping, everything had gone dark. I had not even seen what took me, all I had felt had been a sharp and piercing pain, ripping right through my chest. I flexed my wrists, wincing as rough rope scraped my skin. I was tied to a chair. Panic bubbled in my chest, but I forced it down. Panicking wouldn’t help; I needed to focus. “Where am I?” I whispered to the silence. As if in answer, heavy footsteps echoed outside the room, the sound gr
Chapter 86 Mere CoincidenceAsher's POVWhen we got back to the palace, the tension between us was as heavy as the night air outside. None of us had spoken much during the drive, the weight of Willow’s disappearance gnawing at our thoughts. We knew that if we didn't find her soon enough or let something happen to her, we would also not be able to walk out of everything without a scar.“I don’t like this,” I finally said as we stepped into the main hall. My voice echoed slightly, the emptiness of the palace making it sound louder than it was. “Something about this feels... personal. Whoever’s behind this, they’re close to us. Too close. Why would they possibly want to get Willow?” Aiden leaned against the edge of a marble pillar, arms crossed. “You think someone from inside the pack is involved?” I nodded. “Or someone with intimate knowledge of us. It’s the only explanation for how far this has gone without any real signs of outside interference. So smooth, everything is happenin
Chapter 87 The MeetingLina's POVThe walk back home from Kingston was a blur. My thoughts were tangled, replaying the vision I’d seen over and over again. The place where Willow had been was dark, suffocating, and steeped in black magic, which sent chills through my body. I knew it wasn’t just any ordinary location. It was a place of pain and power, somewhere intentionally hidden from light. Whoever was there was definitely not someone who had an iota of good intentions toward her and that knowledge put me on edge. Once I got inside the house, I closed the door and leaned against it, exhaling shakily. My heart hadn’t stopped racing since I left Kingston. I had to do something, and I knew exactly who I needed to call. It didn't make any more sense for me to keep the recent developments away from her. Even as I tried to get my phone, I felt like I had been doing the wrong thing.Fumbling with my phone, I dialed Ruby’s number. The line rang three times before she finally answered, he
Chapter 88 Paradise AssembleJason's POVThe sound of my phone buzzing pulled me from my thoughts. I had just finished a call with one of my men, discussing the latest movements of the Crescent Moon pack. Things were tense, and I needed all the information I could get to stay ahead. But when I saw Ruby’s name flash on the screen, my stomach dropped. I didn’t want to answer. I knew it was about Willow, and I had no patience for another one of her endless complaints or excuses. But I also knew that ignoring Ruby wasn’t an option. She was persistent. I took a breath and swiped to accept the call. “What is it, Ruby?” I growled, annoyed. “Jason,” Ruby’s voice was tight, filled with urgency. “Willow’s been kidnapped.” I froze. My pulse quickened as the words registered in my mind. “What do you mean, kidnapped? How the hell did that happen?” “She’s gone,” Ruby continued, her voice shaky. “And Lina doesn’t know the details. She’s been trying to figure it out, but it’s too late. Wi
Chapter 89 Messy PainsAsher's POVI stared at the map spread out before me, my mind racing with the implications of everything we had just discovered. The stench of death still lingered in the air, mixing with the musty scent of old books. I couldn’t shake the image of the slaughtered animals in the secret passage beneath our father’s room, their bodies piled on top of each other, the stench so foul that even the strongest stomachs were affected. I hadn’t realized just how much darkness had taken root in this place, in this family. It was my father. Our father. The one person we thought we could trust, the one person we had looked up to, was now revealed to be the architect behind the horrors unfolding around us. The killings of those innocent animals weren’t random. From the books we had found, the rituals... they all pointed to one thing, our father was involved in some kind of dark magic, some sick, twisted attempt to gain power. And we were helpless to stop him. "How could
Willow’s POVIt’s been three years.Three years since the war. Three years since everything changed, and yet, in so many ways, everything feels the same. The palace is quieter now, though it’s never quite still. Life has moved on, unfolding, healing, and growing. The scars remain, but they’re faded, tucked away beneath the surface, just enough to remind us of what we’ve lost, but not so much that we can’t continue on. The pack has grown. It has become something new, something more, something better, despite everything. The bonds between us are unbreakable, forged in blood and fire, and we’ve rebuilt what we once thought was lost forever. Ruby’s presence in our lives has been a blessing in more ways than one. She’s become family in every sense of the word, not just my closest friend but a sister, someone I never knew I needed until she came into my life. And, of course, the triplets. My mates, my husbands.Aiden, Asher, and Axel. My heart still swells when I look at them, not just be
Willow’s POVThe cold, numbing silence enveloped me as I opened my eyes. I didn’t know what I expected, but it certainly wasn’t this. The last thing I remembered was the sharp pain from the knife, Alpha Thane’s knife. It had been a slow, agonizing descent into darkness, and now I was here, wherever here was.I was in a place that felt… unreal, ethereal even. The air was thick, heavy with an otherworldly presence, and a silver glow bathed everything. The landscape stretched out before me, a vast expanse that seemed to pulse with life, as though the very earth beneath me was alive. The ground was soft, almost liquid, but solid at the same time, and above me, a sky that wasn’t quite like any sky I had seen before—a sky of endless moons, their pale light shimmering like ghosts.And then, I saw her.My heart skipped a beat, a wave of dread and sorrow washing over me as I locked eyes with my mother. She stood there, her back straight, her expression unreadable. The sight of her should have
Alpha Thane’s POVThe cold stone walls of the palace felt more suffocating than ever as I stood in the center of the room, panting, my chest heaving with exhaustion. The world around me seemed to blur, my senses dulled by the toll of the battle and the relentless power I had been channeling. I had tried everything, spells, dark magic, fire, anything I could use to subdue her. But none of it had worked. Willow was too strong now. Stronger than I had ever anticipated. And with every passing moment, I felt my grip on this palace, on my empire, slipping away.I had become too reliant on my power. The souls I had taken, the spells I had cast, nothing seemed to matter anymore. She was the one I had underestimated. She had grown and changed in ways that even I couldn’t fathom, and now, I was standing here, helpless. The Moon Goddess had chosen her, and no matter what I tried, I couldn’t stop it.She was coming for me. And she would not stop until she had destroyed me.I glanced around, panic
Willow’s POVThe scent of smoke and burning flesh clung to the air, mingling with the sound of clashing swords and furious roars. The battle was in full swing, a violent symphony of growls screams, and the crackle of magic. I could hear the howl of the Lycans, the battle cries of Ruby’s warriors, and the sharp clang of steel against steel. My heart hammered in my chest, adrenaline pumping through my veins, but my focus was absolute. This was us, fighting side by side to defend the world that we knew. The world that we had.The palace, once a symbol of power and dominance, had become a battlefield, a crumbling monument to everything my father had built. It was the final confrontation, the culmination of everything I’d been through. I was here, surrounded by those who fought for me, Lycans, Moon Descendants, and Ruby’s warriors. They fought beside me, united in our shared purpose: the fall of Alpha Thane.But this was not just their fight. This was mine, I needed to give those who had b
Axel’s POVI sat in the cold, dark cell, my eyes staring at the rusted bars. The sound of dripping water echoed from somewhere far in the distance. It has become a constant in the background of my life now. A sound I could never escape as if time itself was slowly draining away. Asher and Aiden were sitting on the other side of the room, their backs against the stone wall, their faces unreadable. But I knew the truth, I could feel it. Their hope had been drained, just like mine. We’d been broken and shattered, and it seemed like there was nothing left to hold onto. Everything had fallen apart. “Axel, we’ve tried everything,” Asher’s voice was hollow like he was speaking from the depths of a grave. He had given up. “We can’t keep fighting. We can’t keep pretending like we have a chance.” I clenched my fists, my teeth gritting together. It was the same speech every day, every night. We couldn’t fight back anymore, couldn’t do anything but sit here and wait for our death. But I refuse
Willow’s POVIt was a small, simple thing, a phone lying on the stone floor of the room... I hadn’t expected to find it, but there it was, tucked behind a pile of sheets, like some forgotten relic. My fingers trembled as I picked it up, feeling the weight of it, the symbol of the connection to the outside world. A lifeline. The voice of a friend, a reminder that not everything in my life had been consumed by darkness. I didn’t hesitate. With trembling hands, I unlocked it, hoping for some miracle, some ounce of luck. I had been so alone in this journey, carrying Daniel and Ella, preparing for war, and trying to keep us all alive. I needed to hear a familiar voice. I needed someone who could remind me of who I was. And there, on the other side, was Ruby. Her voice crackled through the receiver, but I could hear the relief in it. “Willow? Is that really you?” Ruby’s voice, full of emotion, broke through my heart. I could hear her relief mixed with something else, concern. “Where h
Asher’s POVI can still hear the sound of Kingston’s last breath echoing in my ears, the image of his crumpled body burned into my mind. It doesn’t matter how many times I close my eyes, I can still see it, him, falling to the floor in a heap, hollowed out by the man who should have been protecting him. Our father, drained the life from him like it was nothing. I had stood there, helpless, unable to do a damn thing to stop it. And now Lina was gone too. Her throat slit open by Elana’s cold, unfeeling hand. It all happened so quickly, a blur of rage, grief, and terror. I hadn’t even been able to scream out her name before it was over. Just like that, she was gone, and we were left standing in the rubble of our broken lives, pieces of ourselves scattered around us. The grief cuts deep, but there’s no time to wallow in it. Not anymore. Since the day our father took Willow, we haven’t heard a single word from her. No cries, no screams, no messages of distress. Nothing. I don’t know w
Willow's POVThe first day of training hit me like a storm, relentless and unforgiving. I had expected something rigorous, after all, this was no ordinary training. But nothing could have prepared me for the intensity that awaited. The training was unlike anything I had ever experienced. It wasn’t just physical; it was emotional, spiritual, and mental. Lina had taught me to control my powers, but this... this was different. This wasn’t about managing fire or controlling my strength. It was about awakening something deep within me, something I didn’t even know existed. My uncle, Alpha Enoch, had been kind but firm. He didn’t waste time with pleasantries. Every lesson was a trial. We started with the basics, or what I thought were basics. Meditation to connect with my inner wolf. Breath control. Centering myself in the moment. But as the hours dragged on, I realized that my uncle’s version of training was about pushing the boundaries of my abilities, demanding more from me than I th
Willow's POVThe morning sun filtered softly through the curtains, casting a warm golden glow across the room. I sat up slowly, the remnants of the night’s exhaustion still pulling at my bones. My mind raced with the fragments of memories, moments that I had yet to fully comprehend. Where was I? How had I ended up here? The last thing I clearly remembered was collapsing in the desert, Daniel and Ella in my arms. I’d feared the worst, but here I was, alive. And they were safe, at least, that was what the woman had assured me. The same woman who had brought me to this strange, serene room. I didn’t know what to believe anymore, who to trust, or what the world had in store for me. Everything seemed to be moving too fast, too suddenly. I had no idea what was happening, but it felt like I was caught in a whirlwind of destiny, one that I hadn’t asked for.A knock on the door broke my reverie. I glanced up. The woman from last night stood there, her expression calm as ever. “Good morning