Sapphire's point of view – Overwhelmed by a melancholy that seemed to claw at my very soul, I was compelled to subject yet another pair of star-crossed mates to the merciless trial that had doomed all previous unions of wolf and mermaid through the annals of time. The harrowing curse persisted, unbroken like the relentless waves upon the shore. As for my mother, smeared in the mortals' whispered stories and feared as the malevolent sorceress of lore, little did they know the truth that lay hidden behind the tales. Her heart, once tender and kind, was far from the dark caricature they had conjured in their fables. In the cherished, mahogany-toned recesses of my childhood memories, I often found myself locked in fervent debate with my dear mother, the strands of our debate woven tightly in society now with the stuff of myths and dreams. I was unshakably convinced that the mermaid, now the protago

Brocks Perspective:Tears surged, threatening to breach the fragile dams of my eyelids, as I stumbled over my words, each syllable heavy with the weight of layered emotions—a tumultuous concoction of anger and pain. My voice was but a hoarse whisper, a shadow's echo, barely audible even to my own ears. "Why?" I implored the silence around me, the question digging its claws into the soft underbelly of my insecurities."Why does Stephanie loathe me with such a passion? What hidden sin have I committed to earn her contempt?" The words hung in the air, a testament to the inner turmoil that tugged at the very fabric of my being, unraveling the threads of comprehension. Within me, a war raged between the desire for reconciliation and the sting of rejection—a battle I was far from winning. Jasper's expression twisted into a contemptuous sneer as he replied, dripping with disdain, "Are you truly that blind to your own actions, or do you wallow in ignorance for sport? Her hatred for

Stephanies Point of View—Brock's eyes widened with horror as he stared at a photograph inside the folder. I had gathered several disturbing images from the dark web for this purpose. It was actually my hacker friends who had unearthed them for me. They had also shown the tech-savvy members of our group the techniques to uncover whatever else they could find.I watched Brock’s horrified eyes looking at a picture in the folder. I had several I had found on the dark web in there. Well, I had some hacker friends find them, and also had my hacker friends teach the computer nerds in this pack how to find what they could. Brock's Adam's apple bobbed like a buoy in a stormy sea, his large, slightly tanned hands trembling as they gripped the damning photos. "You found these where, Stephanie?" he asked, his voice a gruff, uncertain note amid the office that smelled of pizza and wet dog.Grimly I explained how I had my geek friends, letting Brock know that now because of this, that Matthew and

Stephanie's inner turmoil was palpable as I drove away from the Brock's packhouse. As I glanced back, a pang of unfamiliar emotion gripped my heart - guilt. I couldn't shake the image of fear and pain in Brock's eyes as he, along with my father and brothers, morphed into their wolf forms and chased after me. Guilt wasn't something I was familiar with. I'd always done as I pleased, consequences be damned. I blamed it on my Alpha blood, thinking I was always right.Aurina –"Don’t forget to add that you're a coward!" Before I could continue, my own human interjected, interrupting my thoughts.Stephanie –"I am hardly a coward! Offering myself as bait for Alpha Yadiel proves I am not a coward!" I retorted; my voice filled with defiance.Aurina's accusation cut deep, branding me a coward. Before I could respond, she interjected, calling me out on my perceived cowardice. I bristled at the insult, defending myself by citing the times I'd offered myself as bait for Alpha Yadiel, insisting it

Brocks Point of View-At times, I find myself questioning the moon goddess for pairing me with Stephanie. Trapped within her elaborate security system, the pathways were clear to me, yet I refused to participate in her games; I was not some rat running through a maze. Practical jokes have never amused me, and I have no interest in playing them on others.From a tender age, adulthood was thrust upon me when I assumed leadership of my pack. I was never afforded the luxury of engaging in such trivial pursuits. To express that I am seething with anger, annoyance, and a fierce urge to lash out would merely scratch the surface of the turmoil bubbling inside me. "However, I truly don't want Stephanie's father to perceive me as an unpredictable and angry individual."I sighed, scrubbing a hand through my hair—an act my wolf disapproved of, given it messed up our otherwise immaculate appearance. Stephanie's father, a towering figure with a twinkle for humor in his sharp eyes, had a penchant fo