Chapter 31

Natalia:The fire cracked softly in the hearth, but I barely noticed it anymore. I was curled into the far end of the velvet sofa, the weight of a thick book resting in my lap, open to a page I hadn’t read in the past twenty minutes.My fingers traced the edge of the paper, but my eyes were far away, staring into flames, into memories, into moments that didn’t belong in this place.I remembered the scent of my old room, jasmine and vanilla, mixed with ink and old parchment. I remembered the garden my mother loved to walk through after sunset, her sharp voice softening when she spoke to the flowers she never let the maids touch. And I remembered my father.Not as the cold figure the world saw, but as the man who stood behind me at the edge of the training field, hand on my shoulder, whispering, "The moment you let them believe you're soft, you're done for. And that is why you must always be strong…"Flashback:“But Daddy, what if I don't want to be strong? What if I just want to be a g

Last Updated : 2025-09-04

Chapter 32

Nolan:“Nolan, stop avoiding my calls. You couldn't have fallen for her. You said that it was nothing more than a deal and yet you haven't been answering my calls since you married her.” I read through Mira's texts.She had sent voice notes, she was trying to reach me with every possible way, and I've been avoiding her since. Not because I'm married, but because she knew that I had my responsibility. That I was under watch and yet she was not respecting that.I put my phone back in my pocket, no longer in the mood to read whatever it is that she wanted to say.The night was thick with smoke and silence.It was a cold night, nearly winter. And I knew that it was only the beginning. It was going to be colder.I stood on the edge of the veranda, a half-burnt cigarette resting between my fingers. The embers glowed orange, dancing briefly before the wind swept them away. The sky above was ink-black, the stars drowned behind thick clouds that refused to break.The smell of rain filled my no

Last Updated : 2025-09-04

Chapter 33

Natalia:The next morning, something was different.I couldn’t place it. Couldn’t name it. Couldn’t quite point at the moment it shifted.But it had.I felt calmer. My wolf, less aggressive, less trying to hide, more open to this place.Maybe it was the way the sun felt warmer on my skin than it had in weeks.Maybe it was the quiet comfort of sleeping through the night without tossing or turning.Maybe it was the kiss I hadn’t expected, one that left me breathless and confused.But the heaviness in my chest felt lighter.And I didn't know how to react to it.I still didn’t trust this place.Still didn’t trust him.But I didn’t feel like drowning anymore.I didn't feel like I was being pushed into something that I couldn't deal with.After breakfast, quiet, solitary, as usual, I stepped out toward the training grounds. I hadn’t meant to stay long, but the sound of laughter pulled me closer. The younger trainees, barely teens, were practicing combat forms, some of them wobbling in their

Last Updated : 2025-09-05

Chapter 34

Nolan:She walked away from me again.This time, it wasn’t out of defiance, or anger, or some sharp remark tossed over her shoulder.This time, she walked away because Mira showed up, uninvited and too perfectly timed, and Natalia, ever the proper Luna, let it happen.But I saw the way her shoulders tensed.I saw the flicker of disappointment in her eyes.I knew that she might not have wanted to go out at all. Her forgetting about it, the idea of her wanting to stay meant a lot more than she would understand. And now she was going with her.She had softened for a moment. Let herself laugh, move freely, exist without walls. I’d watched it from across the training grounds, and for one damn second, it had felt like peace.But now?Now it was gone.The moment Mira opened her mouth, the mood cracked like glass under pressure.And the worst part?I let it happen.I watched them walk off together, Mira hooked into Natalia’s arm like a parasite pretending to be a friend. And I didn’t say a th

Last Updated : 2025-09-06

Chapter 35

Mira:She was too calm.Too composed.Too Luna.It made my jaw tighten as my insides boiled with rage.We walked through the boutique-lined street of the northern district, a place I once dreamed of coming to… not as a guest, not on someone else’s arm, but on my own. As someone respected. Desired. Chosen.Instead, I was here because she was here.Natalia.The woman who used to be the same as me. Who used to command me with a single glance. Who used to sit in rooms I wasn't allowed to enter until she called for me.And now?Now she wore the Luna title like it had always belonged to her.And I was still walking by her side, one step behind her even, because it was her who was coming here, not me.Even as she walked with me now, her steps steady, her smile quiet, her body clothed in understated elegance, there was a glow around her that burned me more than I cared to admit.“I didn’t expect you to say yes,” I said lightly, looping my arm through hers again, watching her from the corner o