Werewolf

Kael' gaze bored into the human male.

 “Elara Miller is dead,” Kael snarled.​

 “I... I always feared this day would come...”​

 “You expected her death?”

 Kael' brow furrowed.​

 The man wiped his eyes, his voice trembling.

 “Any female who endures what she did would sooner embrace the Moon Goddess than live another sunrise.”​

 Kael' lip curled.

 “Elara was a lowborn merchant' daughter. She should have been grateful to wear the Luna title. Her greed killed her.”​

 Recognition flared in the human' eyes.

 “You're the Alpha Prime. Kael Wood.”​

 Kael said nothing, but the man shoved a bundle of parchment into his hands.

 “The Lady couldn't read or write. She paid me to pen letters to you. None were ever sent.”

 He paused, voice dropping to a whisper.

 “Read them. And when you're done, come to my shop. There are more.”​

 Long after the human had fled, Kael stood before Elara' cha

Laura Wood and Rin Lake dared not overstep the pack' sacred laws, yet their hunger for my death burned bright.

 So they settled for my wrist blood—a bottle every fortnight, drawn by silver blades under the light of the waning moon.

 The pack healer had warned them: “Her human body cannot withstand this. One more moon, and her spirit will join the ancestors.”

 Kael stared at the letter until dawn.

 When Rin held Laura into the study, his eyes had already shifted to their wolfish amber,.

 “What is this about heart' blood?” he snarled.

 Laura' anxiety triggered partial shift—stood on end, while Rin' hand instinctively went to her swollen belly.

 “The... the pup' corpse,”

 Rin began, her voice steady.

 “It triggered a darkness in my wolf. The healer said a pure - blood human' heart' blood could cleanse it. Elara offered freely, as atonement.”

 Laura nodded frantically.

 “Yes! She 

As Kael Wood stared into his cup of tea, Rin Lake glided across the opulent study, her pregnancy - swollen belly barely disturbing the silk of her gown.

 She placed a tray of moonberry pastries before him.

 “Kael, Elara Miller is gone. You fulfilled your duty to the pack and the council. Don't let her memory poison your peace.”​

 His silver - grey eyes snapped up, fixated on the curve of her stomach.

 “Our first pup... if it had lived, it would be running with the pack by now.”

 Rin' fingers trembled as she reached for a pastry.

 “Some things are better left in the past,” she murmured.​

 The truth about our lost pup was a twisted knot of lies and betrayal.

 After our forced union, Kael avoided me like I carried the plague.

 On the night of the Blood Moon, I laced his mead with a fertility potion brewed from moonstone dust and wolfsbane petals.

 The mating that followed was a feverish blur of teeth and claws, and in the aftermath, he vanished into the woods.​

 When I discovered the life growing inside me, Kael' demeanor shifted.

 His coldness thawed into something resembling concern, but it was a fragile facade.

 He brought me gifts from distant packs—amber - encased honey from the northern , rare healing herbs from the mountain wolves.

 At night, we'd sit by the hearth, his wolf' shadow stretching protectively over me, and for a few blissful moons, I almost believed in our charade of a happy mating.​

 Then, in the sixth moon of my pregnancy, he announced he must leave for the flood - ravaged territories.

 I knew the truth even before I followed his trail to the hidden cabin in the Silverpine Forest. There, in the flickering firelight, I watched Rin Lake nuzzle against him, her belly already swollen .

 In a fit of rage, I halt the heartbeat of my unborn pup.

 Kael' howl of grief and anger echoed through the pack lands.​

 Whispers of Kael' callous treatment of his Luna reached the ears of the High Council.

 Dozens of alphas filed grievances against him.

 But Kael was the Alpha Prime for a reason.

 With a single flash of his Alpha command, he quelled the unrest, leaving only a token punishment of reduced territory rights.​

 Still, my death had achieved one thing—Kael was forced back to the desolate Wood Manor.

 As he approached the wrought - iron gates, a human male blocked his path.

 “Please!”

 The man clutched at Kael' cloak, his eyes wild.

 “I'm searching for Mrs. Wood. She saved my sister from a rogue pack, and I—”

 His words were cut off as Kael' hand shot out, gripping his throat.​

 “Elara is dead,” Kael growled, his fangs bared.


Kael' gaze bored into the human male.

 “Elara Miller is dead,” Kael snarled.​

 “I... I always feared this day would come...”​

 “You expected her death?”

 Kael' brow furrowed.​

 The man wiped his eyes, his voice trembling.

 “Any female who endures what she did would sooner embrace the Moon Goddess than live another sunrise.”​

 Kael' lip curled.

 “Elara was a lowborn merchant' daughter. She should have been grateful to wear the Luna title. Her greed killed her.”​

 Recognition flared in the human' eyes.

 “You're the Alpha Prime. Kael Wood.”​

 Kael said nothing, but the man shoved a bundle of parchment into his hands.

 “The Lady couldn't read or write. She paid me to pen letters to you. None were ever sent.”

 He paused, voice dropping to a whisper.

 “Read them. And when you're done, come to my shop. There are more.”​

 Long after the human had fled, Kael stood before Elara' chamber door.

 It hadn't been opened since her death, the iron handle cold and untouched.

 When he st

Chapter 4​

Chapter 4