MasukDorian’s POVI stopped moving completely. My hands stayed on her soft shoulders. A sudden wave of surprise hit me hard. The Viremoor necklace was a very big secret. Only the Alphas of the most powerful families in the north knew its real name. Normal people did not even know it existed. They definitely did not know its history. So, how did Lillian know about it?"How do you know that name, Lillian?" I asked her. I made my voice very quiet and low. "Where did you hear about the Viremoor?"Lillian turned around slowly to face me. Her small fingers were still touching the beautiful blue stone on her chest."For a very long time, I thought this was just a fake story," she said. She looked up at me with big, honest eyes. "When I was younger, I loved to read. I found some very old books in the libraries near the border. The books told a story about a great war. Many years ago, several strong families from a big pack fought each other. They did terrible things just to get this necklace. They
Dorian’s POVI gasped, my chest heaving violently as I sat upright in the bed, my hand instantly flying to my collarbone. My heart was pounding like a war drum against my ribs, and cold sweat was dripping down my temples.I blinked rapidly, looking around the bright, sunlit master bedroom. The air wasn't ice-cold, the room was completely quiet, and there was no masked killer standing over me.It was a dream. An incredibly realistic, upsetting dream that I hadn't had in years. The memory of the silver blade sinking into my flesh felt so vivid it made my skin crawl, but it was nothing more than a trick of my exhausted mind. I let out a long, shaky breath and looked over toward the large bay window. The morning sun was already high in the sky, casting a warm, golden glow across the carpet. Lillian was already fully dressed, standing in front of the vanity mirror as she brushed out her hair.She caught my eye in the glass and spun around, a bright, playful smirk on her face. "Well, look
Dorian’s POVThe suffocating silence returned to the study, thicker and more oppressive than before. Aiden stood perfectly still in the center of the room, the color slowly draining from his face as the sheer weight of my words sank in. For a long, agonizing moment, he went completely silent. His eyes stared blankly at the polished hardwood floor, tracing the grain as if searching for a reality where what I had just suggested wasn't true."I had a bad feeling about this, Alpha," Aiden finally whispered. His voice, usually steady and commanding, trembled slightly. He looked up at me, attempting to force a weak, unbelieving smile onto his face. "But... I really didn't want to believe it. It doesn't make sense. Why would they strike now, of all times? It has been a very long time. Years. I thought they had completely forgotten about me. I convinced myself that I was just a ghost from their past, and that they had finally moved on to other targets.""Aiden, stop," I said, my voice cutting
Dorian’s POVThe silence in the room stretched on, the ticking of the wall clock sounding like a countdown in my ears. As I looked down at Lillian’s pleading eyes and felt the nervous tremble in her hands, the fierce, defensive wall inside my mind finally began to crack.I knew she was right. The ceremony I had frantically agreed with Aiden to hold was simply too sudden, too messy, and entirely fueled by blind panic. But Lillian didn't understand the sheer terror driving my actions. I knew with absolute certainty that someone was out there in the dark, hunting us. Someone was actively trying to stop my happiness, trying to tear down the life I was building. I had truly thought that pushing the mating ceremony forward would give us a shield. I thought it would make me make us happier, stronger, and more hopeful against the invisible storm.But looking at her stressed, pale face, I realized I was only making her suffer.I let out a long, heavy breath, the rigid tension slowly leaving my
Lillian’s POVThe bright morning sun was already filtering heavily through the sheer curtains when I finally opened my eyes. I blinked against the light, my chest tightening the moment I checked the clock on the nightstand. I had woken up a little too late. The heavy exhaustion from the previous night had kept me pinned to the mattress, and now, reality was crashing down on me all at once.Sitting up in the quiet room, I started completely freaking out. Panic clawed at my throat as I realized I had blindly agreed to a totally impulsive decision. What on earth was I thinking? A mating ceremony wasn't just any regular event. In the werewolf world, it was a sacred, monumental milestone. It was supposed to be grand, beautifully prepared, and at least properly planned out over months, not frantically rushed into in the middle of a security crisis.I threw on a simple robe and practically ran out of the bedroom. I spent the whole morning rushing through the corridors, looking everywhere for
Lillian’s POVThe moment my fingers touched his shoulder, Dorian jolted. The vacant, dark look in his eyes shattered, and he pulled me into his arms before I could even take another breath. He hugged me with a sudden, desperate tightness, burying his face into the crook of my neck. His grip was so fierce it was almost painful, his broad chest heaving against mine as if he were trying to physically anchor himself to my body."Dorian, you're squeezing me a bit too tight," I whispered, but he didn't let go right away.Instead, he began to speak, his voice a rough, urgent murmur against my skin. "I am going to protect you, Lillian. I swear it to you. I will always protect you, and I will never, ever let anything or anyone in this world hurt you again. No matter what happens, no matter who comes after us, I won't let them take you away from me."At first, hearing those words was incredibly sweet. It felt like the ultimate reassurance after the horrifying ambush in the garden. But as he kep
Lillian’s POVThat night, after I’d tucked Celeste into bed with vague reassurances about her other grandparents, I lay awake staring at the ceiling. Her question hadn’t been random, I realized. It couldn’t have been just coincidence that she’d brought up grandparents now, of all times.I pulled ou
Lillian’s POVThe meeting wrapped up with handshakes and signatures on documents that would secure Fangshade Pack’s future for years to come. I watched the investors file out one by one, each of them looking satisfied with the terms we’d negotiated, and I should have felt nothing but triumph.Inste
Aaron’s POVShantel finally pulled away from me, her breathing still uneven as she straightened her clothes and fixed her disheveled hair in the reflection of my office window. I tucked my shirt back in and fastened my belt, watching her with growing confusion about what the hell had just happened.
Aaron’s POVI switched from channel to channel, but it was useless. Lillian’s face was everywhere every news station, every entertainment show, all of them talking about her appearance at Cowell’s fundraiser, her partnership with Dorian, how successful Fangshade Pack had become. It was like the ent







