Helena’s violet-gold eyes, still sharp despite her waning health, studied me intently. Her gaze wasn’t judgmental or cold—it was maternal, protective, and knowing.
It was an uncanny feeling, sitting under her scrutiny, as though she could see through the walls I had carefully built around myself.
“Grace,” she began, her voice soft but firm. Even when illness threatened her, Helena’s authority could not be questioned, especially when she spoke in that tone. “James explained that you were attacked by rogue wolves.”
Alexander stiffened in the chair beside me, his long, muscular frame taut with tension. His hands rested on the armrests, but his fingers drummed lightly, betraying his impatience.
Even now, he couldn’t stay entirely still when the conversation shifted to matters he saw as his domain.
“Yes,” I answered quietly, looking at Helena and clasping my hands over my lap. “They took my Luna pendant. I managed to escape thanks to a passing guard.”
Helena’s lips pressed into a thin line. “Your pendant,” she murmured, her tone heavy with thought. “It wasn’t a random incident then. It sounds deliberate. Far too deliberate.” She shifted in her seat, her brow furrowing ever so slightly as her gaze flicked to Alexander.
I could feel him tense even more beside me, his wolf stirring faintly. But I continued to speak. “They knew I was vulnerable. Without Moonlight… without my wolf… I couldn’t defend myself the way I should’ve.” It pained me to admit my weakness, but hiding it served no purpose here.
Helena’s eyes softened as they turned back to me. “Grace,” she said, almost gently. “And your… health? You’ve been experiencing nausea?” Her gaze dropped briefly to my hands, clasped protectively over my abdomen, and something unspoken lingered in the air between us.
I hesitated. “It’s… nothing. Just an upset stomach, I think.” My voice betrayed no more than necessary, but Helena was perceptive—always perceptive.
Her eyes lingered on me for another moment, but she said nothing further. The weight of her silence was profound, almost exposing. It made me feel small and seen all at once.
The tension in the room snapped like a taut string when Beta James burst through the doors, his usual calm overshadowed by urgency. “Alpha!” he barked, his gray eyes locking onto Alexander.
Alexander rose to his feet immediately, his towering form suddenly overwhelming the tranquil space of the room. His wolf stirred again, claws scratching just beneath the surface.
“What is it?” Alexander demanded, his tone sharp and unforgiving.
James’s eyes flickered to Helena and me briefly before focusing fully on Alexander. “The attack on Luna Grace,” he began, his voice steady but grave. “It wasn’t random. The pendant wasn’t just a trophy—they targeted her specifically. This was organized.”
My heart stuttered, and I could feel my breath hitch. My fingers instinctively curled. Organized?
“Explain,” Alexander growled, his tone dropping into something low and dangerous.
“They were rogues hired to undermine her standing as Luna,” James continued, his delivery blunt but respectful. “The pendant’s theft was likely symbolic, meant to show she isn’t protected. The message is clear: weaken her, weaken the pack.”
The silence in the room was deafening.
It was Alexander who broke it, but not with words. His wolf exploded outward in a rush. The air in the chamber crackled with energy as his golden eyes burned red. His massive frame seemed even larger as his fists tightened and a low growl rumbled from his chest.
I flinched—instinct, really—but I knew better than to let it show. Still, my own vulnerability betrayed me as I edged slightly toward the corner of my chair. Looking at him was like staring into the eye of a storm, and yet part of me still hoped—not for protection but for acknowledgment.
“They dared…” Alexander snarled, pacing the room with a predatory intensity. His wolf raged, clawing its way forward, and when he turned back to James, his face was twisted in fury.
“Find them,” he barked, his voice thundering. “Every last one.”
“I already have teams dispatched—” James began, but Alexander cut him off with another guttural growl.
“Not enough! Double the patrols. Every rogue within one hundred miles will regret the day they were born. Do it NOW.”
With a sharp nod, James left, the door clicking shut behind him.
The silence that followed was suffocating. I wanted to speak, to say something—anything that might ease the tension—but as I looked at Alexander’s fiery eyes, I faltered.
Helena finally spoke, her gentle voice cutting through his fury like a blade. “Settle, Alexander. This is not the time to lose control.”
But he couldn’t—wouldn’t—calm. The air around him pulsed dangerously, his steps heavy as he paced.
“I’m fine,” I said quietly, surprising even myself. My voice was thin and fragile, barely audible over the sound of his growls.
He whipped toward me, his eyes still blazing. “Fine?” he repeated, his voice venomous. “You think this is fine? You were attacked. They tried to take what’s mine!”
My heart skipped—or maybe shattered.
“Victoria needs you more,” I said softly, my words a whisper against his storm. “Go to her.”
Something shifted in his expression. For the briefest flicker of a moment, his wolf receded slightly, dulled by my words. He stared at me like he wanted to say something but couldn’t find the words.
I looked away, unable to see whatever battle raged in his gaze.
—
(Breakfast Hall)
The sound of silverware clinking against fine china filled the hall. Despite the lavish table before me, I could hardly bring myself to eat.
My fingers toyed idly with the edge of the napkin on my lap as I stared at the plate before me.
“You should eat,” Helena’s gentle but firm voice broke through my thoughts.
I glanced up to see her watching me again, her frail hands folded neatly in her lap. Beside her, Alexander sat stiff and brooding, barely touching his own food.
A soft laugh broke the fragile calm. “Maybe she’s worried delicate Luna food isn’t enough for her,” Sophia said with a cruel smirk.
She is Alexander’s sister and Victoria’s best friend.
After I mated to Alexander, she has always been against me, thinking that only Victoria is worthy of being Alexander’s Luna.
The jab struck deeper than I wanted to admit, but before I could even glance toward Alexander, his presence erupted beside me.
The air changed. In a flash, Alexander’s wolf surged forward, and without warning, he was on his feet and had pinned Sophia to the wall.
The room collectively gasped, the sound of chairs scraping back echoing harshly, but no one dared intervene.
Alexander’s burning red eyes bore into Sophia, his normally calm voice laced with the venom of his wolf’s wrath. “Disrespect her again,” he growled, his hands gripping her shoulders tightly, “and I will end what little usefulness you have left.”
Sophia’s face twisted in fear, her golden eyes wide and panic-stricken as his claws extended just barely beneath his hand.
“I–I wasn’t serious!” she stammered, trying to twist out of his grip.
“Apologize,” he demanded, his voice thundering in a way that left no room for debate.
Her lips trembled as she stammered out an apology, looking toward me with resentment in her eyes. “I’m sorry, Luna Grace.”
Alexander finally released her, stepping back with deliberate control, though his wolf still pulsated dangerously under his skin.
Sophia slumped, panting heavily as she glared at him with thinly-veiled hatred. “Victoria was right about her,” she hissed under her breath but loud enough for me to hear. “She needs to be eliminated before she ruins everything.”
I felt my pulse quicken, her whispered words cutting deeper than her spiteful jabs.
—
(Courtyard – Alexander’s POV)
Her arm was softer than I’d expected under my grip, smaller, and yet… unyielding.
“Let go of me.” Her voice was calm and detached, yet her gaze pierced me with more ferocity than her words ever could.
“I can’t,” I said without hesitation. My wolf was far too close to the surface to act rationally. The sight of her retreating away from me, her back stiff as stone, felt like needles under my skin. “You can’t leave—not now.”
She turned her face slightly, violet eyes meeting mine with a mixture of bitterness and exhaustion. “I thought you didn’t want me anymore.”
The sting of her words was immediate. My throat tightened as her gaze dropped to my hand gripping her arm. For the first time, I considered what it might feel like to lose her entirely, even if my mind wrestled with the truth of those emotions.
“The mate bond—” she began softly, her voice breaking slightly before she steadied it. “It will dissolve soon. Don’t let your wolf get attached.”
Her words left me cold. Before I could even respond, she pulled away, leaving my hand empty as I watched her walk toward the estate.
