~ Rufus’s POVFear gnawed at my insides as I ran closer to the pack’s clinic. The second I stepped inside the clinic, the doctor’s words hit me like a cold wave.“We did everything we could, but..." His voice trailed off, but I already knew. No. It couldn't be.My mom exploded. Tears streamed down her face as she grabbed the doctor’s coat, her voice ragged with a mix of disbelief and desperation. "No! Please, you have to try again! Look at him one more time!" she pleaded, her voice cracking with every word. I stared at my dad, whose face etched with a deep, silent pain, and remained rooted to the spot, his gaze locked on Dolph's lifeless body.Ignoring the tears blurring my own vision, I bolted towards the doctor. My voice, barely a choked whisper at first, rose in pitch as I pleaded, "Please, you have to save him! Don't you see, that's my brother!" But the doctor’s reply was a gentle but firm punch to my gut. He explained, his voice heavy with sympathy, that by the time Dolph arriv

~ Elara’s POV After doing the dishes, I returned back to the room and was surprised to see Rufus on the chair I left him. He was perched right on the chair I had left him on earlier. But something was different. He wasn't napping or playing with his phone. He was staring off into space, completely zoned out. It looked like his little brain was working overtime. He was so lost in deep thoughts and I wondered what was going through his mind at that moment. I called out his name but he couldn’t hear me and then I decided to leave him alone to his thoughts. I sat on the bed to resume playing my games and just then I heard a knock on the door. My heart jumped into my throat as I was so scared because Rufus had never mentioned any family or friends who might drop by. So I thought Alpha Rayel had finally found me and he was the one by the door. Panic surged through me. “What if it was Alpha Rayel? Has he finally tracked me down?” I muttered to myself. The knock on the door intensified

~ Rayel’s POVLost in thought, I barely noticed Hazel slip into the room. Her sudden hug startled me, but then I turned with a smile, glad to see her. "Feeling any better?" I asked gently.Hazel's grin was answer enough. "Absolutely, and it's all thanks to a certain someone," she teased, squeezing me tighter.I chuckled, then my smile softened a touch. "How's Rose?""She's doing much better," Hazel replied. "The doctor wants to keep her at the clinic for a few more days, just to be safe and make sure everything's on track before discharging her."A wave of relief washed over me. It wasn't perfect, but it was definitely better news. "That sounds good," I agreed. "Maybe we can even bring her some of her favorite food?"Hazel's smile widened. "That's a great idea! I bet she'd love.Yeah, that sounded good," I replied to her. Just then her expression turned serious."Hold on," she said, her voice firm. "What about that jerk who attacked me? You just let him stay here?"I explained the w

~ Rayel’s POVI walked out of my room in anger and dashed off outside the palace. I ignored the several maids and pack members that bowed to me as I stalked along the hallway. The argument that I had just had with Hazel back in the bedroom played over and over again in my mind. The memory of how her voice had sounded broken and her lips had trembled when she had admitted that watching me sleep with another woman had not been easy for her. It is not something I enjoy, but apparently, it is necessary, she had said.She had hidden it behind a mask of anger, but I had seen it in her expression that she was only acting glib and that the fact that we needed a breeder was hurting her more than she was letting on or that I probably thought I knew. Which was one of the reasons why I was so bothered by her demand to have Rose as our breeder. Rose was her personal maid, something that I would have thought would be a reason why she would never had brought up such an idea. Does her desire to h

~ Rayel's POVHe flinched again, his breath catching in his throat. He looked like a cornered animal, desperate for an escape but with nowhere to run. "I... I can't say," he mumbled, his voice barely audible.His voice shook as he mumbled, "I'm sorry, Alpha Rayel," "Sorry doesn't cut it, Zeeb!" I roared. "What were you thinking? This isn't some playground squabble! I need a real explanation, not some half-hearted apology!"“It wasn't supposed to happen like this! I was just messing around, having a bit of fun with her, but then she… she started something, got all riled up."“What?!” Everyone exclaimed, looking so shocked. The murmurs and hushed whispers began anew. I held up a hand and the crowd immediately fell quiet.I moved closer to him and then asked him if he was truly admitting to the crimes. “It was a mistake, Alpha Rayel,” he said but the way he sounded to me doesn’t show his sincerity and I knew he was only admitting to his crime, thinking that his father would use his inf