جميع فصول : الفصل -الفصل 120

~ Iris POVThe months that followed Alice’s sacrifice were the longest I had ever endured. Every day, every night, I felt her absence like a wound that refused to heal. I watched Duncan struggle to recover, watched his body broken, his chest scarred from the wolfsbane and poisons that had nearly ended him. The pack healers worked tirelessly, their chants, herbs, and silver remedies keeping him alive when even I had begun to fear he wouldn’t make it.I sat by his side for weeks, refusing to leave. Every breath he drew was a relief, every blink a small victory. I held his hand, pressed my forehead to his chest, whispered encouragements I wasn’t even sure he could hear over the pounding of my own fear.“Stay with me,” I begged one night as the firelight flickered across his face. “You promised. You have to stay.”His eyes fluttered open, glowing faintly even in weakness, and he reached for me, voice hoarse, “I’m not leaving… not w

~ Iris POV ~“Congratulations, Iris.”Her voice was smooth.Too smooth.Like silk wrapped around a blade.For a second, I couldn’t breathe.Eunice.Standing there as if she hadn’t vanished months ago. As if the world hadn’t burned and rebuilt itself in her absence.She looked… unchanged.Same dark hair cascading over her shoulders. Same sharp eyes that missed nothing. Same calculating calm.Only now, there was something else in her gaze.Interest.I swallowed slowly, forcing my spine straight.“Eunice,” I said evenly.The cashier shifted awkwardly between us, sensing something she couldn’t name.Eunice’s eyes drifted down.To my stomach.Her smile widened slightly.“So it’s true,” she murmured. “Twins.”My hands instinctively rested over my belly.Protective.Always protective now.“Yes.”

~ Iris POV8:00 p.m.I stood before the mirror, fastening the silver clasp of my necklace behind my neck. The moonstone pendant rested lightly against my collarbone, cool against my skin.Tonight’s meeting had been called by Elder Varis himself. When an elder summoned the council under a full moon, it was never for something trivial.And as Luna, my presence was not optional.“Mom! How do I look?”Alice burst into the room, spinning in a circle. Her gold gown flared around her like sunlight caught in motion.I crouched down and gently held her chin, studying her.“You look… beautiful,” I said softly. “I’m jealous.”She giggled proudly.Just then Rowan barged into the room, chewing loudly with a mouth full of pancakes.“Mom!”Alice immediately folded her arms.“Rowan! Go get dressed.”God.She reminded me so much of my best friend. The same stubborn c

~ Duncan POVThe estate was quieter than usual.Not peaceful.Just… watchful.I stood on the balcony outside my study, staring at the forest stretching beyond the stone walls. The moon hung high above the trees, bright and merciless, casting silver light over the land I had spent years fighting to protect.The same moon that had revealed my son’s secret tonight.White Wolf.Even thinking the words felt dangerous.For centuries the White Wolf had existed only in stories elders told around fires. A myth about a bloodline powerful enough to unite,or destroy all packs.And tonight, that myth had stood trembling in the courtyard beside his sister.My son.Rowan Blackwood.A low growl stirred in my chest before I forced it down.This was exactly what I had feared.Not the power.But what that power would bring.Politics.Greed.Ambition.Lucien Moreau’s expression during the council meeting replayed in my mind again.Too interested.Too calculating.The prophecy Varis had spoken echoed thro

Chapter 118~ Iris POVThe sun had begun to sink behind the trees by the time the training field finally emptied.The estate was quieter now, the afternoon noise fading into the soft hum of evening. Guards returned to their posts, the warriors finished their drills, and the air carried that calm moment before night settled fully over the land.I remained seated on the low stone wall beside the training ground, watching my daughter.Alice sat cross-legged on the grass, a practice blade resting across her knees. Sweat dampened the loose strands of her dark hair, and dirt smudged the side of her cheek.Across from her, Eliora Moreau had already been called back to her carriage. Her silver hair had disappeared beyond the gates nearly an hour ago.Yet Alice was still sitting there.Thinking.Which, for Alice, usually meant something was bothering her.I stood and walked toward her.She didn’t look up until my shadow fell across the grass.“You fought well today,” I said.Alice made a small