Chapter 81

Kai disappeared after promising to have a private conversation with Aly, leaving Ashvin and me alone.The conversation still hung in the air. I could feel all the tension I had been carrying these past few days multiplying inside my chest.Was there ever going to be a time when I could catch a real break?There were so many questions I wanted to ask, yet at the same time, there were answers I wasn’t sure I wanted to hear.When I looked up, I found Ashvin studying me carefully.There was no annoyance in his expression, but there wasn’t peace either.I cleared my throat and forced the question sitting at the back of my mind to come out.“Do you trust me?”The words escaped too quickly, before I could change my mind and ask something safer.Ashvin blinked, momentarily caught off guard.I immediately looked away.“I mean…” I corrected quickly. “Did you know my father had records here?”That should have come first.The first question had been too direct.Moongodess, I hoped h

Chapter 82

Alyaanah was beside herself.Hearing those words come out of Ashvin’s father had triggered something in her.We had smiled politely, nodded, told him we would think about it, and excused ourselves back to our chambers.But now, my entire day was ruined.‘Mine too, because what in the Moon Goddess’ name was that?’ Eira sounded just as irritated as I felt.How could he stand there and decide that offering himself in marriage to my sister because he wanted control of my pack was somehow reasonable?“And him standing there saying things like women can’t be Alphas and pack laws this, pack laws that, who exactly does he think he is?” Aly paced across the room.Her movements were sharp and restless.I knew this version of her.This was what she looked like when she was truly angry.I crossed the room and caught her hand, gently guiding her toward one of the chairs until we both sat.“You know he’s allowed to say what’s on his mind.”I sighed.“Moon knows we’ve been living under

Chapter 83

We had been in the royal archive for over an hour now.Searching.Digging through every old and ancient history book our hands could reach.Well, my hands.Ashvin had completely refused to let me climb the ladder.The first time I reached for it, he gave me a look and declared himself officially responsible for retrieving books.So now whenever we needed one, all I had to do was point.And somehow without fail he would appear beside the shelf and bring it down for me.I laughed every single time he did it.But secretly…it warmed something inside me.Because he had meant what he said.We were a team.Right now, we had finally found the book.The book.According to Ashvin, every Alpha chosen by the Moon Goddess and accepted by their ancestral bloodline had their name appear inside this record.No one wrote it.No blood oath.No ceremony.No manipulation.When the time came, the name simply appeared.Which meant every generation waited before naming an heir.I tho

Chapter 84

After spending another hour searching, bantering, and getting distracted somewhere in between, my head was full.Too full.First this ancestor of mine who had apparently wanted a princess badly enough that it became his downfall.Then Francis.His mate had searched for him all that time and even knowing he was alive, she still couldn’t bring him back.Then my mother.Somewhere.Maybe waiting.Waiting for my father.Waiting for me.Waiting for my sister.And we had searched everywhere we could think of and still nothing.Or worse, AsaelThe part of me I never liked revisiting.The part where I had loved someone so fiercely only for him to wake up one day and decide he no longer wanted me.I would have liked to say it hurt my pride.But it wasn’t pride.It was grief.He got tired.And one day he simply walked away.There had always been stories like that in the pack.Stories of broken mate bonds.Stories of wolves who stayed until they didn’t.Of people deciding t

Chapter 85

ASHVINI had been carrying this strange sense of euphoria ever since that kiss happened two days ago.I didn’t know how I had managed to go this long without kissing her because now that I had, I wanted more.After that kiss and everything that followed, we had stayed in the library for another hour pretending to search through records while trying very hard to keep our hands to ourselves.At least on my end.I tried not to linger too close, tried not to scent her more than necessary.But the memory of her lips kept returning at the worst moments and I knew that wasn’t what we needed right now.‘That makes two of us.’Zen sounded entirely too pleased.Ever since the kiss, he had been restless, excited.The mate bond had never felt this alive.It felt like something inside us had finally settled into place.Like the bond itself recognized the change and welcomed it.I felt her more now, the happiness she had been carrying.The warmth, the small bursts of excitement she pr

Chapter 86

ASHVINKai had sent word almost immediately after reaching wherever Zahra-Rose and the Moonbright wolves were gathered. The urgency in his voice had been enough to make me leave my work unfinished.Now standing at the edge of the gathering I immediately understood why, the place was in chaos.Pack members crowded around in clusters, voices overlapped, accusations and anger ran through the place.Words I hadn’t heard clearly yet but knew weren’t good.What could have caused this level of unrest?The moment they noticed me the crowd split.Like water making way. I walked forward and then I saw them, two bodies lying on the ground.My eyes sharpened.The scent hit immediately, they were moonshine wolves. My pack wolves. My jaw tightened.Around me the tension thickened.Looking up, I recognized the two Elders who had come to my office.My mother stood nearby, Asael too, watching me and judging.My eyes continued scanning until I found her, Zahra.She stood frozen, her eyes