**Evelyn**I turned to see Caleb standing there, staring at me with wide eyes, and I frowned. “I shouldn’t go there?” I asked, pointing towards the inconspicuous looking herbs and he nodded furiously.“Why?”“Uh… Brother Lucian has prohibited us from going to that area!” He said, his voice sounding nervous and I frowned, looking back at the herbs. Even after a second glance, they looked nothing special. Huh?“Why aren’t you allowed to go there? Is there anything special about those herbs?” I asked curiously.Caleb looked conflicted as if pondering something and then he straightened up.“The herbs there… They have harmful effects. Some of those are even toxic to touch and should be handled with gloves only. That’s why we should never go to that area,” he said and I stared at him in shock. Toxic to touch? Wasn’t that too dangerous for a place with kids? I know he said they were prohibited to go there, but we were talking about kids here! Who didn’t know that they loved to explore and r
**Ryan**“Alpha, didn’t you promise that the Luna will be back soon? Why isn’t she back yet?”Under the accusing stare of the little guy in front of me, I felt like a criminal.“She will come, Mike,” I said, and I didn’t know if I was trying to convince him or myself. My mind flashed to the moment I saw the brown-haired woman in the marriage. She looked nothing like my Evie, but my mind told that it was my Evie. And she saw me marrying Freya. Even if it wasn’t her, the news must have spread that I had married Freya. Evie would certainly have heard of it by now. She would hate me by now, wouldn’t she? After all, I had married another woman even after promising her that I will never even glance at any woman other than her. Whatever my reasons may be, there was no excuse for my actions. She will never come back to me now. I had lost my Evie forever. I was startled out of my thoughts when the little one spoke. “But Momma said we have a new Luna and the old one is gone forever. That I sh
**Evelyn**“Luna, it's so boring here! Can we go to the park and play? Please Luna! We miss playing with you!” I looked at the little boy smiling up at me, his big brown eyes full of innocence and hope. If only I could feel half as hopeful as him... Too bad. I was not as naïve as a four-year-old.Shaking off the unpleasant thought, I smiled at him even though it never reached my eyes. How could I explain to a child that we were in the midst of a war and our peaceful days were all but a memory? “I would really love that too, but not today, Mike. We can go to the park some other day,” I said before pausing, trying to think how I could explain to him that going out was not safe anymore. But I didn’t want to be the one to taint his innocence. Not when his parents had tried their best to shield him from the horror that was happening around him.“Why not now?” He pouted, his eyes drooping dramatically. “We are a little busy now, kiddo. Otherwise, will I ever say no to my favorite little b
**Evelyn**I stood there watching the warrior carrying the woman, my heart thundering inside my chest. I couldn’t help but run my gaze over the woman. With each step she got closer to me, a strange fear gripped my heart. With hair as black as night and pale unblemished skin to go with it, I would have recognised her if I had seen her even once before in my life. And I most certainly haven’t. So who was this stranger, and why was Ryan bringing her here?I tried to reason to myself that I was just shaken by seeing the deaths and injuries from the war. Not to mention the hostility the pack members had shown me a while ago. But still, those thoughts didn’t help me get over the uneasy feeling I had after seeing the girl. Taking in a shaky breath, I fisted my hands to hide the slight tremble in my fingers as I kept watching the woman, unable to peel my eyes away from her. Curly black lashes fanned her cheeks while her thin pink lips were turning down into a frown. With her small button nose
**Evelyn**Mate… her voice echoed in my head as utter chaos ensued in the pack. “Mate?!” Elder Anthony shrieked gleefully, looking between the girl and Ryan, before turning to me with a gloating look. But I just stood there numbly, seeing everything but not registering anything. As if I was a stranger watching it all happen to someone else. Amidst the cacophony of voices of the elders and the pack members that gathered there by now, the girl walked towards Ryan as if in a daze. Suddenly, the haze in my mind cleared up and my senses turned sharp. She was walking towards my man! Fated mate or whatever, Ryan was mine now and mine forever! I rushed towards him and stood in front before she reached him. The girl tilted her head in a questioning look as she stared at me, annoyance flashing in her eyes at the hindrance. As she stood there studying me, I did the same. I didn’t realize it before since she was lying down, but now that she was standing up, she was on the shorter side. Maybe abo
**Evelyn***One month later*I sighed as I sat alone in the garden, the place where I had once found solace even in the darkest of my days. But right now, as I sat there alone, without the voice of the kids who joined me to play or hear stories from me, I felt more lonely than I had ever felt in my life. Just as I had thought the day Sandra pulled little Mike away from me and left, it was as if the entire pack decided against letting their kids play with me. Even though I saw the kids staring at me wistfully some days, they never came to play with me again after that day. Those innocent souls didn’t seem to know what had I done to deserve this isolation. They could only obey their parents and stay away from me, the fake Luna. Yes, the fake Luna. That was the title I gained ever since the day Freya had arrived. I closed my eyes, the garden eerily silent ever since I came here. Even the birds seemed to stay silent in my presence, huh? I didn’t feel this empty even during those days in t
**Evelyn**I closed my eyes, memories of the time when Ryan and I had first confessed our love for each other flashing through my mind. We were both under eighteen then, and I had hoped that the deep connection we shared probably meant that we were fated mates. But I was sorely disappointed when I turned eighteen, only to discover that I was not his mate. For a while, I had tried to pull away from him, not wanting to keep him away from his mate, who could make him a stronger Alpha. But Ryan was relentless in his pursuit, telling that the bond between us was stronger than any superfluous mate bond. That he didn't care for the strength which his fated could bring when he will be stronger with just my presence beside him. And slowly, I had surrendered to his charms once again, thinking that our love was strong enough to overcome the magic of mate bond. And I still thought that when Freya had come here just over a month ago. I trusted Ryan with all my heart, and I knew he loved me more tha
**Evelyn**I followed elder Zachary out of the packhouse, a small duffel with just a few clothes and essentials in my hand. My heart felt heavier with each step I took and I had the sudden urge to run back to my room. It’s not too late yet! I can just close my door and wait for Ryan. We can talk and solve our issues and everything will go back to how it was. Startled at the selfish thought that flashed in my mind, I shook my head to clear my thoughts. I had already made the decision to give up Ryan for the better of the pack. I had to do it even if it killed me…I clenched my fists, my nails digging into my palms, and the pain helped me stay level-headed. As we walked farther into the north wing, away from the servant quarters, I wondered why we hadn't even encountered a single maid till now. This entire thing was going a little too smooth for my liking and my instincts were screaming at me that something was wrong. That it couldn't be this easy. I looked around uneasily, my eyes scann