PEONY CRIMSON’S POVI rested on Xavier's shoulder and closed my eyes, listening to the calm, regular beat of his heart. His arms encircled my nude body beneath the sheets. I could temporarily forget all the chaos in my life while I was in his warm, secure hug. For the remainder of my life, I needed this comfort, and my triplets did too.I told Luna Lucia about my dream a few hours before dawn, and then Xavier returned to convince me to go to bed. But knowing that Rose and Violet's fate was uncertain, how could I sleep? My longing for Jasmine was intensely pressing against my chest as well. I ended myself whimpering beneath Xavier as he kissed my anxieties off my body rather than falling asleep.I noticed that hues of purple and orange were beginning to emerge in the pitch-black sky outside the window. My body was exhausted from lack of sleep, but at least I was able to think a little more clearly and be more composed than I had been the night before.I blinked, watching Xavier play a
PEONY CRIMSON’S POVElenor gasped. "How?" Alpha Aragon and I assisted Luna as Xavier got a chair for her to sit in. I believed they had rushed here without caring enough about her pregnant self to tell me this right away. Alpha Aragon took off his jacket and set it on his wife's shoulder.I sent Elenor off with Gloria to take care of Rose and Violet's stability because I felt that the ritual would not be performed that day."How could the goddess reach you?" I asked."She came into my dream last night, just like you had that day." She more or less told me that in her dream, the Moon Goddess appeared in the form of a wolf exactly like the one I had seen in my own dream. I still couldn't believe that such a seemingly harmless and meaningless dream was related to all this."So we just cancel this ritual?" Xavier asked, "What do we do, then?"Luna Lucia asked Alpha Aragon to fetch an ancient calendar from the temple's storage cabinet. While scanning the dates on the calendar, Luna Lucia
AZALEA'S POVWith a snap, all the crystals on the hallway wall lit up. Its soft yellowish glow illuminated the darkness but still left enough shadow. I walked down the passage as I traced the surface of the wall with my fingertips. Feeling the dampness and coldness of the stones, and listening to everything that happened behind them. A tower for a witch wasn't just a building to live or work in, it was also a true friend and a good reporter. Because I could listen to everything that happened inside the tower with just one touch.I swung the door wide open. I ordered the two witches who were observing Jasmine's green crystal's performance to leave. The normally talkative and curious six-year-old girl remained completely quiet. To be frank, this was quite a pleasant sight. She never seemed to run out of questions, always keeping me on my toes and making my head spin. "Now what should I do with you?" I asked the air. I circled the bed, scanning the girl's body and the blackish patche
AZALEA’S POV"Did someone die?" I chuckled, "Peony, perhaps? No?"The calico cat wriggled her tail in the air as she leered at the door. I opened it, going where the cat's slick paws took me. When we eventually reached the tower, the cat changed into a fiery-haired woman in an instant."You're not going to like this," she said with a grimly serious expression."What is it, Elenor?" She didn't say anything until we arrived at Jasmine's infirmary. When we entered, Elenor leered at the girl then let out a long sigh as if being consumed by disappointment."She is not the blessed one.""Then is it Violet?" I asked, but she stared at me in dismay.To be honest, from the moment I saw the triplets on the day I took them in, my eyes had fallen on Violet. Her eyes showed that she was a brave and determined little girl who wasn't afraid to say what she thought or deal with the problems life brought her. She really nailed the role of the older sister. There was something in her eyes—a hint of
XANDER ALVERIUS' POV"Son of a bitch!" I threw my phone against the wall with anger boiling in my head when two knocks on the door came. "What do you want?" I snapped."Alpha, I brought the report you asked for yesterday." The voice came from Stuart. I wiped my face roughly, ignoring my phone that was shattered on the floor, and flung myself into a chair. "Come in."Stuart approached me with a reserved demeanor. He held a bunch of papers and added them to the chaotic heap on the desk. I casted a casual glance at the documents, my lack of interest evident as I reclined in the chair.Stuart cleared his throat. "First, I heard a rumor that Miss Peony and your brother have officially made their relationship.""Ha. I figured as much." I groaned, "I paid a hell of a lot of pain because of it."Deep down inside my left chest beat a heart, but no one could hear it since it was replaced by an enormous hole that only I could see. A void brought from the mating bond break. A clue that, while de
PEONY CRIMSON’S POV"Zinnia!" Datura barked as she chased after her sister. The two young pups were having a blast, tumbling around on the lush green grass in front of the packhouse. Meanwhile, I sat at the picnic table, observing their playful antics. The early fall sky was adorned with delicate clouds, and despite the chilly breeze, the two wolves were engrossed in their playful antics.In spite of the delightful and charming sight in front of me, I couldn't help but feel that this precious moment was temporary, bound to vanish like a fleeting breeze. "Are you guys okay?" I asked, approaching Zinnia and Datura who were lying on the grass. They shook out their furs, then shifted to their human forms in unison."Excellent." Rose smiled brightly, not looking tired at all. "Zinnia is friendly and caring. She told me many things about the Goddess in my head. Last night, we talked about so many things that I slept late. Sorry, Ma."I chuckled as I handed her a glass of milk. "It's oka
PEONY CRIMSON’S POVAs Xavier tried to calm me down after telling me that Jasmine had gone missing, I was still in his arms. There were a thousand crazy thoughts going through my head. Fear was still holding on tight like an evil hand, squeezing the air out of my lungs as terror threatened to swallow me whole. As soon as I grasped a speck of calm, my eyes caught the figure of Xander passing through the packhouse gates with four guards accompanying him. He didn't come alone, Darriel and three other Gamma's followed.Even from a distance I could see his expression filled with concern as he approached us. But the sight of him, the man I had entrusted to look after Jasmine, ignited a spark of anger in me, a raw and primitive rage born of fear and desperation.Without thinking, I lashed out, my hand connecting with his cheek in a quick, sharp slap. The sound echoed in the surrounding silence which I'm sure startled everyone there.Xander staggered back, his eyes wide with shock and hurt,
PEONY CRIMSON’S POVThe team leaders, gammas, and betas convened in the meeting room. I was treated far more respectfully by the members ever when I was officially introduced as Luna. They were also aware that my girls were the subject of the discussion. I could see their confused glances as they found Xander standing as far away from the table as possible, with all his pent-up anger suppressing the atmosphere. "I sent Stuart and his team to the cave where I found the triplets. When we thought it was just an ordinary one, it turned out to hold something beyond measure." Xander was the first to speak up after Xavier had summarized the problem.Stuart laid out a drawing resembling a beehive on a sheet of watercolor paper on the table. The top left corner features a cardinal arrow. The illustration had numerous tiny squares joining a series of lengthy, twisted tubes that resembled octopus tentacles.Stuart extended his forefinger to the bottom end and divided the space in half by imagin