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Elise (POV)

Ka’al is the alpha king of the Black Moon Pack, the strongest pack in the realm. Their warriors are so strong that stories have been passed around for ages about them and how powerful they are.

But hardly anyone has seen or been to the Black Moon Pack before; they were very careful with who they allowed in because their borders were closed to the outside world. after a war that changed everything.

They were a strong, sovereign pack. I tried to keep my mouth closed, taking in a quiet gulp as I glanced at the wolves who still bowed to Ka’al.

“Alpha, I can’t believe you made it out; you’ve been gone for almost a year. We are glad that you are alive,” the beta male said with gratitude in his tone.

The head guard stood up, and his eyes shifted to me and back to Ka’al; he must have. explained who I was telepathically, but I could see the apprehension leave his gaze, and he was more trusting.

“Kaide, where are the others?”

“Tazmin and Alvira are at the Trax borders; words are being immediately sent out to them,” he said to Ka’al, who nodded. There was relief in his gaze upon hearing that they weren’t here, and I wondered why.

“Open the gates!” came the order. As the large 20-foot gates were opened, we walked into the first building. “It’s good to have you back, Alpha Rygan,” he said to Ka’al.

“Rygan?” I was confused as we stopped in the large hallways leading to the main doors. Ka’al turned to me.

His eyes looked tired and drowsy, and his breathing seemed slower than usual, but he still had a lazy smile on his face

“Ka’al isn’t my name,” he started. “My name is Rygan Al Andras; that bastard Kyren used Ka’al, which means ‘Dread’ in my people’s tongue, to mask my identity after I was taken; it was like a game to him,” he explained.

“That’s why Kyren wanted your offspring; why is it so important?” I whispered as Kaide had taken a safe distance between us so he wouldn’t eavesdrop, even though our wolf ears were made for that exact purpose.

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“Rygan Al Andras,” I-said, testing his real name on my lips, Rygan. His eyes shared a glint that set my body on fire, and my heart sk**d a beat.

“I.ugh,” Rygan started, but his body froze in a stagnant, unnatural way as his eyes. pushed to the back of his head, and he fell limp into my arms.

“Rygan?” I panicked. I held his weight to pick him up, only to feel a warm patch on my hand. He was wounded!

Kaide immediately knew something was wrong as he ran up to me. I pushed Rygan’s shirt up to see a showing wound that was purple with gray blood spilling out. “Oh gods, what is this?” I whispered in horror. He had this all along, and he carried me here.

“It’s a wound from Vardnom; I need to get him into the healer’s place now!” He said that as another guard ran up to Kaide, and they took Rygan to the healer’s cabin through a secret passageway.

I followed behind them, my hands shaking with fear. I was so stupid not to notice his pain; 1 felt like a wreck. “Vienna!” he shouted as we reached the large cabin, the pack’s clinic. A young woman walked out in confusion about why Kaide was calling her name so desperately.

A hand flew to her mouth to hold the gasp, a**he was shocked to see her alpha just like the rest of Rygan’s pack members “Alpha w-what-how?” She started.

“No time to explain; it’s a Vardnom stab wound; we need to stabilize him,” Kaide said. I couldn’t believe he was still so level-headed in this situation.

Vienna gave me a short look before she nodded to Kaide and the other young Delta, who let Rygan into the private chamber.

“You need to stay outside,” she said sternly to me. As the doors were closed and I was left in the empty waiting area, I felt my legs grow weak as I slipped down the wall, burying my face in my palm and crying

He almost died because of me. Because I was so weak, I hated this. “Are you okay?” Kaide’s voice pulled through my dark thoughts as I looked up through my blurry lids.

He slid down to sit beside me. “Our alpha king is strong: Rygan had been through a lot; he’s the pack hero; almost ten months ago, four of our females were taken, and the Dark Knight wolves still believed in the old ritual of stealing females from different packs,” he continued.

“But they were cowards; they waited till the females were out of the pack, and they took them: it escalated into a vicious situation, and the only way to release them was to have

15:47 Sat, Aug 31 G G

a deal with Kyren, in which he offered their freedom for our alpha’s freedom,” he continued.

“He didn’t want any females dying under his watch again, so Rygan sacrificed himself for our females. My cousin was part of them, and he freed them; though we begged him not to go, he pledged no to war and left with those monsters, but he’s back.”

I told him bits and pieces of what happened to me and how we met in the dungeon, but I did not tell him who I was yet. But when everything did not make sense yet, “I’m El” was introduced shortly.

“Nice to meet you, El. I am Kaide Bedford, the assistant commander and a beta of the Black Moon Pack,” he said with a friendly smile that I knew he was trying his best to get my mind off it.

The doors of the room opened up, and Vienna peeked in, telling Kaide a few things I couldn’t pick up: “Can I see him?” I asked eagerly. But Vienna shut the door and went back in.

“Don’t mind her; she is in a cranky mood, but he’s out of the danger zone and needs. Test, and you need rest too,” he told me.

“I don’t need rest; I need to see him.” I argued.

“Alright then, El, how about I lead you to a room in Alpha Rygan’s home, so you can freshen up

from the blood and dirt on you? Rygan won’t like it if I leave you like this.”

“A bath does sound nice,” I replied. There was weeks worth of dirt on my body, and I needed to get clean. I was assured that Vienna was one of the best healers, even thought she wasn’t ‘gifted’ like Rygan, who was born with telepathic abilities.

‘Gifted’ were rare beings, so rare that they had gone extinct in my pack and other parts. of the realm, but they thrived in the Black Moon Pack. We walked through the quiet. town as Kaide explained simple things to me.

I was quite shocked. For a pack they said was so dangerous and menacing from the rumors, they said it was sweet and kind.

The night air was quiet, as half of the pack was either asleep or closing for the day. From the lights that shone from its house and cabins, the Black Moon Pack was now more than a small city.

The marble-stoned chateau was an enormous limestone building. Fairy lights

automatically switched on when we entered the room, with Kaide leaving me to freshen.

up.

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15.47 Sat, Aug 31 GG

I didn’t waste time, heading to the bathroom to calm down. For the first time in a long time, I gazed at myself in the mirror. I had never fully seen the new appearance I was given and cursed with.

The streaked white silver lock of hair leaned over my right eye as I tucked it behind my cars to get a good look at my eyes; they were like ice. And the ice that was withholding something was trying to break free.

I see the small wound from the attack one of those men gave me, but when I try to remember the rest, my head keeps aching. Rygan must have finished them both off after my head hit a rock.

I take off my grimy, heavy clothes, piling them in a small basket as I get into the warm. tub filled with water. I lather down my body, scrubbing the impurities as fast away as I

can.

Kaide brings something for me to wear as I take the soft cotton sweater paired with pants and a sandal. I don’t bother to dry my hair as I walk back out and lay there waiting for me.

We told the secret passage back to the clinic, and this time Vienna had allowed us in. I tried not to show how much seeing Rygan’s pale face affected me. I took a seat by his side.

“He’s ok, El; you also need rest too.”

“I’ll stay here,” I insist. “I’ll stay-please, if you don’t trust that I won’t hurt him, you can tie me.” I say this as Kaide shakes his head in worry and understands that I won’t budge.

“You don’t need to do that,” he says. “A guard will be by the door if you need help. I still need to command my mind, for he might shift.

“Alright,” I say, thankful for his understanding. It was still perplexing to see such a young male as a commander of Rygan forces; my father didn’t trust the new generation.

my pack, always keeping us secluded and clueless about it all.

in

“Then I’ll be back in the morning; word from Trax must come by then,” he leaving me with Rygan.

says before

I grabbed Rygan’s hand, holding it tightly and jittering away. I held my head on the bedside as I watched him sleep, content to see his chest rise and fall. That was all I needed, as my eyelids turned heavy and I fell asleep too.

I woke up to feel the bed empty. “It’s about time you woke up.” I hear Rygan’s voice as he sits down by the window frame, watching me.

I stand up to go and hug him tightly. “Don’t do that again; please tell me when you’re hurt.” I look into his eye to see him softly peering at me. I felt like this was the moment. to tell him how I felt.

But when the door opened and I moved away, Kaide entered with another male. The male was larger, almost at the same height as Rygan.

“Brother,” the male says as he walks in fast, wide steps, taking Rygan into a deep hug. His rich pine scent spreads with Rygan’s mint and cedarwood.

“El, this is Tazmin Brams, the commander of the Blood Moon troops and second in command, as well as Alpha Rygan’s sworn wolf brother, Tazmin. Elise.”

“It’s nice to see a prettier female than these ugly faces,” he joked with a strong accent that was more intense than Rygan’s voice. With a friendly smirk.

I tried to give him a short smile, even though his beta presence was intense. If I hadn’t spent much time with Rygan, I would have been lightheaded already.

What I didn’t expect was for the door to open once again as a blonde female entered, her fox eyes more attractive than my doc ones. She scanned the room as her eyes met with Rygan.

“Rygan,” she said, running and hugging Rygan, who hugged back. I could feel Rygan was avoiding my stares as I looked back at both of them confused, but I was all the more stunned when she leaped up and kissed him on the lips.

She kissed Rygan.

“El, this is Alvira Beddor, my cousin and Alpha Rygan’s betrothed,” Kaide says. It felt like my heart had been pierced and shattered into a million shards as I stared at them both. As the revelation finally settled in my head.

Rygan was betrothed. And I was a fool once again.