PEONY CRIMSON’S POV"What in the world is this?"My breath caught in my throat as a nasty metallic stench wafted from the paper. The red liquid I thought was wet ink turned out to be the fresh blood of a small mammal. Still, this discovery raised two big questions that immediately flashed in my head.Who sent this to me? Who is meant to return?***I stepped into the walk-in closet. After all these years, I was still amazed that the clothes, accessories, and skincare Xavier had prepared for me were still neatly stored alongside his own. Except for a few perfume collections that have changed, the rest are still the same as before.After getting dressed, I left the room. I met Gloria sitting alone at one of the tables in the dining hall."Isn't that the charm I made for the triplets?" Gloria asked, her eyes fixed on my neck.I touched the charm that I made into a simple necklace. It would always remind me of my babies and be a motivational tool to keep me on track."What’s your plan tod
PEONY CRIMSON’S POVThe next gust of wind brought back that burning smell, as well as the wolfsbane that almost numbed my senses. I tore off the hem of my skirt and used it to shield my nose."Ugh, the smell is getting stronger," Emily complained. As a wolf, she was the one who suffered the most.We all know that wolfsbane was the deadliest flower that could kill a werewolf with just a petal. But the burning flesh?!The only way to explain all of that was to go straight to the source.I couldn't let Emily carry us there, so without shifting, I made a beeline for the forest in front of the watchtower. The wolfsbane scent had dissipated with the breeze, but the blood and burnt flesh remained. It could be used as a reference point.Something churned in my stomach, bringing cheesiness to the tip of my throat. I was about to vomit. My mind blurred, and I almost collapsed from the sickening smell."What’s that?" Emily whispered.I crouched behind a tree and peered out. Within a hundred yard
PEONY CRIMSON’S POVThe second boom came like an earthquake, shaking this entire rocky cell. The chains entangling my feet and hands jingled loudly, opening up opportunities for contact with my skin. The sting of the painful burn spread like a fire, but I was too panicked to feel it."Hey! Someone! Can anyone hear me?” I called out, but all I heard was the echo of my own voice.In the next second, I struggled to avoid the falling rocks from the roof. Every time I moved and dragged my body to get out of the way, pain burned my wrist like a thousand daggers trying to rip out my veins."OUCH! These chains are all silver!” I exclaimed. Blood seeped from the burn, getting more and more painful until it was unbearable.Emily exclaimed, "Stop moving; your skin will peel off! My regeneration is limited to healing silver wounds!"It was easy for her to say that."In any second, this area will collapse. I can't just stay here!” I yanked my hands, "AAARRRRGGHHHH!!"My breath hitched. Both of my
XAVIER ASHERIUS’S POV(A day before the Moon Festival)"The cops we questioned earlier weren’t all different from the other mortals, Alpha.” Judd reported. I saw his hands clenched into fists as muscles jumped out at his temples. "They're wasting too much time. If you drop your command, I'll crush their bones into mere dust."This was our second day in the mortal world. It didn’t take long for my nine-person team to identify the people who may have had contact with my triplets on the day they disappeared. My team took everything with detail and precision, and I was quite pleased. They handled this impromptu quest with such dedication."Not now." I grinned faintly.After interrogating every elementary school teacher and staff member, Jedd and two other members went to the police station this morning. Only to discover there were no reports of missing children, as Peony had explained to me. Unsatisfied, I had Theo sneak into the police archives, but he returned empty-handed.There was no
XAVIER ASHERIUS’S POVI entrusted all the mortals’ matters to Lazarus and Judd, withdrawing the rest of the search team back to White Moon that very night. However, it still took hours of travel to reach my pack. We managed to reach the northern border after midnight.I contacted Zedd, Chadwick, and the Deltas via mind-link. From them, I learned that the rogues of Deadster Forest from the northeast were the rodents who dared to dig a hole in White Moon. They were alpha-less bastards who dared to live only by shifting into brainless lycans.Yet they were nothing more than puppy-powered monsters, childish and disruptive.A flare of anger erupted in my core. I put Zed, a gamma, and the deltas in my pack not just because they could run the pack as my replacements. How were those intruders able to sneak in when my second-in-commands was scattered all over the territory?They would get their comeuppance right from my hands."Theo, Walter, and the rest, spread out across the area. Evacuate t
XAVIER ASHERIUS’S POV"Does it still hurt?"I walked out of the bathroom as I wiped my fists with a towel after washing away the rogues’ blood. Peony sat on the edge of the bed, seemingly deep in her own thoughts. She glanced at me. Her eyelashes swayed gently as she blinked, followed by a faint smile on her rose-red lips."I'm fine. The regeneration worked," she responded."Let me see."I tossed the towel into the laundry bin and knelt in front of Peony. I lifted her right sole gently, her skin twitching in response to my touch. I slowly peeled off the bandage around her calf. I sensed Peony hold her breath. It brought a smirk to my face.The floor swallowed the fallen bandage, revealing her porcelain skin beneath, perfect without any scars—as she said. I grazed her delicate skin with my forefinger tip. An electric shiver ran down to my skin. Peony tensed as my mere touch transformed into a gentle stroke. Her lips slightly opened, letting out a silent moan.I grasped her sole, liftin
XANDER ALVERIUS’S POVTwo weeks ago. Mortal World.Over the past few years, Blue Moon has increased at a faster rate than any other pack on the entire continent. With some peace treaties, hereditary wars were finally stopped, which led to greater cooperation between the packs under my command.As Alpha of Blue Moon, I was the talk of the pack. That's why I got an invitation from Opal Moon—a pack with the mortal world as their base. I didn't see it as a golden opportunity. Still, I bothered to bounce all the way to the other end of the continent to see what kind of offer they had.Getting out of the car, I was immediately confronted by a crowd of pedestrians. The air was filled with a mortal scent that would make any vampire drool. It was a good thing my ancestors built Blue Moon in the deep forest, sparing me from dealing with weakling mortals.A sudden, strong gut compelled me to follow its call, leading my eyes to a random fast-food restaurant. The windows were wide, and a woman sto
XANDER ALVERIUS’S POV"I suggest you cancel your meetings with Opal Moon. We should get back to Blue Moon shortly," Azalea said the following morning as I sat half-slouched, clutching my head.Lack of sleep became the gasoline for blazing flames within me, distorting my reality. Concern sparked in Azalea's green eyes as she paced back and forth in the hotel room. I just watched her while fighting the damn headache.Fuck. I was an Alpha, yet this fucking unknown pain nearly knocked my power down every chance it got."You kidding?” I grumbled. "It's no big deal. I’ll manage those bastards.""No, you won’t. I won't let you suffer any worse than this, husband. Given the distance from our pack, we should get going now. You know the best treatment only works there."Azalea was much more stubborn than she looked. She held out a glass of dark brown juice that smelled like spices, but I was used to consuming similar drinks, so I just downed it right away."I knew coming here was a bad idea.” A