Semua Bab The Lights of Three: Gold, Silver and Blue: Bab 1 - Bab 10

A knock on the Beta’s office door made him look up. “Enter.” Beta Theodore Gilmore called.“You wanted to see me step-father?” His stepson, Peter Sherwood, stated rather than asked.“Ah, yes, sit, we have much to discuss.”“About sir?” Peter asked.“My daughter,” Theodore stated flatly.“What about my step-sister Clover?” Peter asked again, shock written all over his face. It was well known to members of the pack that he had been nothing but an asshole to his step-sister, and now he knew something was going on.“Step-sister? From tonight, I want you to take her as your mate. At her coming of age.”Peter froze at his stepfather’s words, “What stepfather? Sorry, I think I misunderstood.” He thought to himself, ‘This has to be some kind of trap. Did his stepfather know about his hidden feelings for his step-sister Clover?’“No, you didn’t mishear me at all. My daughter is the only one of my bloodline that can take the Beta position, and as my step-son, that place would be yours if you ta

"Show me," he says, the command softened by genuine curiosity.Clover hesitates, studying his face for any sign of mockery or trap. Finding none, she retrieves her phone from the nearby dresser and unlocks it. Her fingers move swiftly across the screen, pulling up a series of messages from various pack members. She hands it to him without comment, watching his expression carefully.Milton scrolls through the messages, his eyebrows drawing together as he reads. Anonymous accounts calling her "Beta bitch" and "bloodline mistake." Suggestions that she should reject her position for the "good of the pack." Threats thinly veiled as advice. Some dating back years, others from just this morning."How long has this been happening?" he asks, his voice deceptively calm even as rage builds within him. His wolf is snarling now, protective instincts flaring unexpectedly."Since I was fourteen," she answers simply. "Around the time it became clear my father wouldn't produce a male heir. So do whate

Unknown to Clover, Peter watches from behind a massive oak tree, his heart twisting at the sight of her vulnerability. He had followed her at a distance, drawn by an impulse he couldn't explain. Now, seeing her alone at her mother's memorial, the magnitude of what his stepfather is asking of him crashes down with suffocation. “Oh, mother, I wish you could see me now, but the pack doesn’t want me. No one truly wants me, mother. Maybe I should do what I have thought about sometimes, I’ve had offers from other packs, and with the bets from pack members of me being exiled tonight, it might…might be for the best of the pack.”A soft breeze stirs the trees around the clearing, carrying Clover's whispered confession to ears she doesn't know are listening. The words hang in the air, heavy with resignation and a lifetime of rejection.Peter's chest tightens at her words. The thought of Clover leaving the pack, leaving him, creates a hollowness inside him that he isn't prepared for. His wolf wh

"You look beautiful," Eliza says softly, adjusting the drape of fabric over Clover's shoulders.Clover meets her own eyes in the mirror, searching for courage in their amber depths. "Beauty won't matter if I fail to shift."Eliza's hands were still on her shoulders. "You won't fail. Your wolf is strong—I can feel her stirring already."Across the pack house, Peter paces his room, Theodore's words echoing in his mind. The thought of claiming Clover as his mate sends conflicting waves of desire and shame through him. He wants her—has wanted her for years, but not like this. Not as a political pawn.His phone buzzes with a message from Milton: "We need to talk. Now."Peter hesitates, then types back: "Can't. Getting ready for the ceremony."Milton's response is immediate: "It's about Clover. And the bets."Peter's heart sinks. If Milton has discovered the betting pool, things are about to get complicated. His thumb hovers over the keyboard, uncertainty making him pause.In the Alpha's qu

"Milton?" Peter calls, moving toward his friend with concern etched across his features. "Are you alright?"But Milton doesn't respond. Can't respond. His wolf has taken the reins completely, pushing his human half into the background as ancient instincts override years of denial. His body moves of its own accord, each step bringing him closer to Clover as she completes her shift back to human form.Theodore sees the change in Milton's demeanour and reaches for his daughter protectively, but Alpha Frederick's hand on his shoulder stops him."Don't," the Alpha warns quietly. "This is beyond your control now."Clover stands tall in her reformed ceremonial dress, the fabric shimmering as if it contains captured starlight. The successful shift has filled her with newfound confidence, her amber eyes bright with the power of her wolf just beneath the surface. She feels different, stronger, more complete, but that sensation is quickly overshadowed by awareness of Milton's approach."What are