Tous les chapitres de : Chapitre 1 - Chapitre 10

CIARA’S POVI led the last group of guests to the door, my feet aching from hours of walking in heels. The celebration had been grand, just like everything else in the O'Donoghue mansion. Five years since I'd first met Ronan at my debut. Five years of what was perfect happiness."Oh wait!" Sarah Morgan grabbed my arm. "I think I left my phone upstairs. In the blue guest room, I think? I was touching up my makeup there earlier.""I'll get it," I offered, already turning toward the stairs. "You should stay here so you can head home faster. It's late.""Are you sure?""Of course. I can flash there and back in no time."I climbed the stairs, grateful for a moment alone. The party had been beautiful, but exhausting. Playing the perfect Luna always was. I reached the second floor and headed toward the east wing where the guest rooms were.My wolf abilities let me move silently through the halls. I tried flashing to find Sarah's phone, but picked up nothing electronic nearby. Strange.That's

CIARA’S POVI was introduced to Eliza and Margaret, the tension in my shoulders easing slightly as I settled into the familiar rhythm of pack greetings. Margaret's eyes crinkled at the corners as she leaned in, her perfume heavy with jasmine and vanilla."It's a shame Sarah isn't debuting this year," she said with a conspiratorial smile. "I bet you two would be fast friends."I nodded politely, the irony bittersweet on my tongue. If only she knew how right she was, that in another timeline, another life, Sarah had indeed become one of my closest confidantes. "I'm sure we would," I replied, the certainty in my voice drawing a curious glance from Eliza.Turning away from their expectant gazes, I let my eyes roam across the gathering. The grand hall glittered with chandeliers that cast dancing shadows across the faces of wolves dressed in their finest. The scent of wine and expensive cologne hung thick in the air, almost but not quite masking the underlying notes of power and politics.T

CIARA’S POVThe silence stretched too long. Eyes were on us, curious, prying, judging. My heart pounded in my chest, my wolf still reeling from the shock of the bond, the claim Darragh had just made in front of all these people.I wanted to run. Not from him, but from the attention, from the way Ronan’s eyes darkened, from the sharp way his lips pressed together. My breathing felt unsteady, and I had no idea what to say or how to fix this before it spiraled into something worse.Before I could gather myself, someone else took initiative. Brigid stepped forward.“What is happening here?” Her voice carried across the room, calm but firm, the way it always did when she wanted control of a situation.Darragh’s grip on my wrist tightened slightly before he let go. His voice was steady when he answered. “Do you mind telling your son to back away from my mate.”Gasps rippled through the crowd. A few hushed voices. The weight of the room shifted. I felt it press against me, heavy with expecta

CIARA’S POVDarragh’s hand was steady on mine, his grip firm but not forceful. He led, and I followed, our movements flowing in time with the music. The dance had started slow, measured, but there was an undercurrent of energy beneath it, a tension that neither of us spoke aloud.“What now?” I asked.Darragh’s gaze flicked down to me. “What do you mean?”“The party will end. The people will go home.” I tilted my head slightly. “What do you do now?”I searched his face, looking for hesitation. I had not yet asked if he wanted to keep the bond. I had not given him an easy way out, an escape from whatever fate had decided for us.“You haven’t even told me if you want to keep the bond,” I murmured.His response was immediate. “Of course, I do.”Something sharp twisted in my chest. He was so sure.“Why?”Darragh’s eyes held mine, steady and unshaken. “There must be a reason the goddess handed you to me.”I let out a small breath, almost a laugh. “That’s interesting,” I said, tilting my hea

SARA'S POVMy heart shattered when I witnessed Darragh finally find a mate after years of secretly praying to the Goddess that it would be me.The pain cut deeper seeing that his chosen one was some entitled werewolf princess, born with a silver spoon in her mouth, never having to struggle for anything in her life. Everything I had fought for, she'd been handed freely.What truly destroyed me was watching their interaction. My cousin—the same man who had confided in me for years about his disdain for the Goddess's matchmaking—seemed completely content with this Luna bound to him. The bond I had hoped would be mine.It felt like the Goddess herself was mocking me, and I refused to accept it quietly. This new Luna seemed insecure, the type who could easily fall prey to doubt. So when Darragh left to handle pack affairs—as he always did when not obligated to stay for formal events—I seized my opportunity to plant seeds of uncertainty.I expected her to crumble immediately. Instead, she l