Josephine's POVMoonlight, filtered through a canopy of ancient oaks, painted the forest floor in silver stripes. My boots, worn soft by countless nocturnal ramblings, crunched on fallen leaves, the only sound besides the rhythmic thump of my own heart.Fear, a familiar friend, slithered through my veins, but not the cowering kind. This was the thrill of the forbidden, the anticipation of a secret world just beyond the veil of night.I was on my way to the Moonfall Clearing, the sacred hunting ground of the Blackfur pack, a lycanthrope community shrouded in myth and legend. My connection to them? My blood, a whisper of wolf passed down through generations in my family. It was my mother's original pack before moving to Killian's Nightcrest pack.The air grew thick with the musky scent of pine and wet earth, a primal cocktail that quickened my pulse. My senses, honed by years of solitary nights, picked up the subtle symphony of the forest, the rustle of unseen creatures, the distant hoo

After learning about what had earlier happened today, Josephine had gotten herself invited to dinner and ended up sitting at the left side of Killian, while I was on the other side.As he entered the dining room, Killian gave Josephine a peck on the cheek and absentmindedly helped her into the chair."Thank you so much Josephine, I owe you my life for this," He said with a gorgeous smile that had me drooling."There is no need to thank me, I was only helping a friend and my Luna," She responded.Unknown to many both Killian and Viktor were already well aware of Josephine's elite skills in hunting and fighting, however they were both oblivious to her magical abilities. For this reason he wasn't surprised Josephine had taken down a dozen rogue Lycan."I'm glad to hear that and I'm sorry you were put in that position,""It's fine, anything to help,"Rolling my eyes, I sat down and moved my chair in by myself, Killian apologized to me for not conducting a personal tour of the territory."

Killian's POVOnce the presents were opened and the cake served, I cleared my throat. “As much as I hate to interrupt the festivities, we do have a monthly meeting to hold, so if everyone would take a seat, we can begin.” The general rumble of conversation slowly dissipated as people settled into their seats. Linda, Christine, and Hailey sat to the side near the front, while Romeo and I took our places at a central table and podium. After smiling over at Hailey, I began.“Before we start, I’d like to thank all of you once again for your good wishes and the warm welcome you’ve given Hailey. I know we both appreciate it. Your support means a lot to us, especially in these difficult times.” A polite round of applause cut me off, and I waited for it to die down before continuing. “I have a number of important points to bring up tonight and then we’ll open the floor to discussion."“First, as I’m sure you all know, Chester was shot two nights ago while out on patrol. I’d like to assure y

Christine and I worked together to clean up the meeting room, having sent Linda off to bed. With her pregnancy so far advanced, she was tired easily and her ankles were swollen. As I gathered paper plates and napkins, I glanced towards the front of the room. A few people still remained talking to Killian and Romeo. Josephine was standing near the edge of the group and seemed to be trying to catch Killian's attention, but the Alpha was too busy to notice.Christine walked by with the remains of the slab cake and paused, taking in the scene. “Josephine made a strategic error tonight when she mentioned selling the land. Now she’s trying to backpedal. Killian loves this place and he’s been worried sick about losing even a corner of it," "Her ‘playing devil’s advocate’ line didn’t go over well. William could get away with it, Killian knows he’s a crafty old coot and was setting things up so the facts could be stated, but Josephine was simply planting seeds of doubt. It’s going to take s

Realizing pleading for mercy was pointless Bill decided to make a stand against Killian. It was as the alpha said if he was to go down, then he would go down fighting and take Killian along to the afterlife."Seems you have made up your mind," Killian said with a smile noticing the conviction in the Leader's gaze."I'm taking you with me to the after-life alpha Killian," He said earning an uproar from the other Lycans. They knew running was pointless, all they could do was fight to stay alive.Shortly after, the sound of shifting and amending bones echoed through the dark forest as all five men were on hinged legs and paws. Moonlight, slivered by jagged tooth-like skylights, limned the scene in an ethereal blue, and gray. Killian stood at the center with a calm demeanor. His eyes, like pools of blue jewelry, glinted with feral awareness. In his hands, twin blades sang their deadly song, flashing silver arcs that carved through the air with a hiss.Five Lycans, their fur matted and ca