Ch. 276..280: The Rogue is a Female Alpha chapter 276-280
Back Where 276
Nyroth
It feels like a dream. I still can’t believe it’s happening. A day like this, where I will be dressing like a groom, and my bride, none other than the love of my life, Zephyrine Ashmere.
I have bargained just like he wanted. Varyn. I have given him Gaxib, and as fate would have it, Gaxib knows almost all of Apex’s weaknesses, and they will be used tonight. The request from Varyn said only one thing.
“Apex will definitely come to interrupt the wedding ceremony. Do not worry. I will fend him off so you can be my sister’s husband.”
I will abide by that because I have always wanted Apex taken away from Zeph.
Now is the night, and nothing more could make my mother, or anyone else, happier.
“Alpha Nyroth.” The call came from behind, and I turned to see Kai, a wide grin on his face. I hugged him tightly. When I pulled back, he was beaming from ear to ear.
“At last. You’ll be bagging the
Oman you’ve wanted. I wonder how the night will turn out.”
I punched him lightly and walked toward the elder who had just arrived to greet me.
Tonight, we will consummate our marriage, and I will make her mine completely, driving out anything that had to do with Apex.
I was still greeting the arriving guests when the sound of galloping horses reached me. I was compelled to walk slowly toward the window and peer out.
Power surged through me at the sight of the Ash Pack crest coming into view. Varyn led five powerful men who looked far too agile to be mere guards. Then the carriages arrived, and I swallowed hard.
The carriages stopped, the maids disembarked, and then she appeared. Zeph. The Alpha of Ash Pack. All elegance, all beauty, still breathtaking.
My heart warmed at the sight of her, and I couldn’t look away. It had paid off. My contribution to giving away Apex’s weaknesses. I smiled with perfect happiness, only to hear a voice behind
me.
“Congratulations, son.”
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I turned to see my mother, now smiling, though a crease of worry lay between her brows.
“What’s wrong?” I asked.
She sighed, looking past the gate toward the lane leading to the Lycan Kingdom.
“What if he comes and spills blood? That mad king?”
“That is why the Ashmeres are here. Do not worry, mother. Do not.” I said, voice gentle. She swallowed, looking back at Zeph and sighing in relief.
“I still can’t believe we didn’t know she was a treasure until she got brainwashed by the Lycan King.”
“Relief is she’s going to be mine,” I said, making her grin.
I grinned back, then looked down at Zeph, only to see her pause mid–step. Her eyes lifted to meet mine in the window. That piercing gaze told me more than I wanted to know, making my chest tightened.
The last ounce of anything like love had been stripped bare and vanished the moment she fell for the Lycan King.
Her presence here tonight didn’t indicate willingness to be my wife, but I swallowed hard and pushed the thought away.
She is mine, and I will have her, whether she likes it or not. I looked away and walked to greet some guests, trying to stay sane and positive.
Just then, I heard footsteps behind me. I turned to see Varyn Ashmere at the doorway, standing there with an innocent look in his eyes, though I knew better.
I excused myself to give him attention, and he folded his hands as he smile. A smile I was beginning to distrust.
“Your bride is here,” he said, smiling. For a moment, I tried not to give in, but the word bride hit me before anything else. I smiled back, and he extended his hand.
“Congratulations.”
I took it, feeling the callousness beneath his grip. A true warrior’s mark.
“Thank you.”
“My sister has been ushered into the chamber to get dressed. After that, we will proceed to the
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hall where it will take place?”
“Yes.”
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“Good.” He smiled further, then paused as his eyes moved past me. “Wow. Who’s she? So beautiful.”
I turned to see my sister, Olivia, walking forward. She froze at the sight of Varyn, quickly lowering her gaze to bow but Varyn bypassed me to extend his hand to her. I almost raised an eyebrow.
“It’s fine. We’ll be family anyway. I’m Varyn,” he said. Olivia straightened, smiling, her gaze smoldering as she met the eyes of our next Warlord.
“I… I am Olivia,” she whispered.
“Wow. You look even more beautiful than I imagined.”
I nearly raised an eyebrow. Why did that sound like flirting? Varyn Ashmere has a woman.
I watched my younger sister blush under his gaze. To make it worse, he kissed the back of her hand and leaned in to whisper words I couldn’t hear.
When he pulled back, he didn’t glance at her again. He walked past me, saying,
“Let’s hurry before Apex arrives.”
I nodded, but suddenly paused. Wait a second. I whirled around to see my younger sister staring at Varyn’s retreat.
“What did he tell you?”
“Nothing, really,” she replied with a giggle, heading toward Zeph’s chamber, making me wary. It’s supposed to be a wedding, but somehow it felt like something else.
Varyn Ashmere is calculating, and I spent the compensation death money of his parents. I am the first love of his sister, the one who broke her heart. Wait a second. Is this revenge? A scheme to get back at me?
No. No way. I quickly shook my head. Apex is the real villain. He is the one Varyn will take down tonight while I marry Zeph. Yes.
Back Where 277
Nyroth
It feels like a dream. I still can’t believe it’s happening. A day like this, where I will be dressing like a groom, and my bride, none other than the love of my life, Zephyrine Ashmere.
I have bargained just like he wanted. Varyn. I have given him Gaxib, and as fate would have it, Gaxib knows almost all of Apex’s weaknesses, and they will be used tonight. The request from Varyn said only one thing.
“Apex will definitely come to interrupt the wedding ceremony. Do not worry. I will fend him off so you can be my sister’s husband.”
I will abide by that because I have always wanted Apex taken away from Zeph.
Now is the night, and nothing more could make my mother, or anyone else, happier.
“Alpha Nyroth.” The call came from behind, and I turned to see Kai, a wide grin on his face. I hugged him tightly. When I pulled back, he was beaming from ear to ear.
“At last. You’ll be bagging the
Oman you’ve wanted. I wonder how the night will turn out.”
I punched him lightly and walked toward the elder who had just arrived to greet me.
Tonight, we will consummate our marriage, and I will make her mine completely, driving out anything that had to do with Apex.
I was still greeting the arriving guests when the sound of galloping horses reached me. I was compelled to walk slowly toward the window and peer out.
Power surged through me at the sight of the Ash Pack crest coming into view. Varyn led five powerful men who looked far too agile to be mere guards. Then the carriages arrived, and I swallowed hard.
The carriages stopped, the maids disembarked, and then she appeared. Zeph. The Alpha of Ash Pack. All elegance, all beauty, still breathtaking.
My heart warmed at the sight of her, and I couldn’t look away. It had paid off. My contribution to giving away Apex’s weaknesses. I smiled with perfect happiness, only to hear a voice behind
me.
“Congratulations, son.”
15:56 Tue, Sep 30.
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I turned to see my mother, now smiling, though a crease of worry lay between her brows.
“What’s wrong?” I asked.
She sighed, looking past the gate toward the lane leading to the Lycan Kingdom.
“What if he comes and spills blood? That mad king?”
“That is why the Ashmeres are here. Do not worry, mother. Do not.” I said, voice gentle. She swallowed, looking back at Zeph and sighing in relief.
“I still can’t believe we didn’t know she was a treasure until she got brainwashed by the Lycan King.”
“Relief is she’s going to be mine,” I said, making her grin.
I grinned back, then looked down at Zeph, only to see her pause mid–step. Her eyes lifted to meet mine in the window. That piercing gaze told me more than I wanted to know, making my chest tightened.
The last ounce of anything like love had been stripped bare and vanished the moment she fell for the Lycan King.
Her presence here tonight didn’t indicate willingness to be my wife, but I swallowed hard and pushed the thought away.
She is mine, and I will have her, whether she likes it or not. I looked away and walked to greet some guests, trying to stay sane and positive.
Just then, I heard footsteps behind me. I turned to see Varyn Ashmere at the doorway, standing there with an innocent look in his eyes, though I knew better.
I excused myself to give him attention, and he folded his hands as he smile. A smile I was beginning to distrust.
“Your bride is here,” he said, smiling. For a moment, I tried not to give in, but the word bride hit me before anything else. I smiled back, and he extended his hand.
“Congratulations.”
I took it, feeling the callousness beneath his grip. A true warrior’s mark.
“Thank you.”
“My sister has been ushered into the chamber to get dressed. After that, we will proceed to the
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hall where it will take place?”
“Yes.”
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“Good.” He smiled further, then paused as his eyes moved past me. “Wow. Who’s she? So beautiful.”
I turned to see my sister, Olivia, walking forward. She froze at the sight of Varyn, quickly lowering her gaze to bow but Varyn bypassed me to extend his hand to her. I almost raised an eyebrow.
“It’s fine. We’ll be family anyway. I’m Varyn,” he said. Olivia straightened, smiling, her gaze smoldering as she met the eyes of our next Warlord.
“I… I am Olivia,” she whispered.
“Wow. You look even more beautiful than I imagined.”
I nearly raised an eyebrow. Why did that sound like flirting? Varyn Ashmere has a woman.
I watched my younger sister blush under his gaze. To make it worse, he kissed the back of her hand and leaned in to whisper words I couldn’t hear.
When he pulled back, he didn’t glance at her again. He walked past me, saying,
“Let’s hurry before Apex arrives.”
I nodded, but suddenly paused. Wait a second. I whirled around to see my younger sister staring at Varyn’s retreat.
“What did he tell you?”
“Nothing, really,” she replied with a giggle, heading toward Zeph’s chamber, making me wary. It’s supposed to be a wedding, but somehow it felt like something else.
Varyn Ashmere is calculating, and I spent the compensation death money of his parents. I am the first love of his sister, the one who broke her heart. Wait a second. Is this revenge? A scheme to get back at me?
No. No way. I quickly shook my head. Apex is the real villain. He is the one Varyn will take down tonight while I marry Zeph. Yes.
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Zephyrine
“You look beautiful.”
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The voice came just as the jewelries were being placed around my neck, my wrists, and in my hair.
The crest, the few warriors, and the carriage had all arrived in the Hue Pack under the full- moon sky, and already I could feel the tension in the air.
My brother had been tender, and I had accepted his help. We journeyed quietly, but when we emerged into Hue Pack, I realized Nyroth truly believed this was a real wedding. He had invited the neighboring packs, and all of them were here, joyous for him.
However, it seemed the Yadevs hadn’t received an invitation, because none of them came.
I had been ushered into the chamber at once, told to change into a wedding gown. But I insisted I would remain in my own. First, if ever I were to wear a wedding gown, it would be for Lycannar. Second, my gown would keep the runes etched into my skin hidden from public
eyes.
I allowed them to adorn me with the jewels, though, and that was when the voice came. Pamela. Nyroth’s mother.
I sat still in the chair, swallowing hard. After all these months, since my rejection, since the revelation of me as Alpha, Pamela and I had never had a face–to–face encounter until now.
The maids slipped out of the chamber, leaving us alone. I stared at my reflection in the mirror as she spoke again.
“You are beautiful. You fit as the Luna of this pack, my dear.”
I couldn’t help but roll my eyes.
“That’s a lie,” I murmured. Catching her reflection in the mirror, I rose and faced her. “I do not fit as the Luna of this pack. I am a whore. A barren. A rogue who came to feed off your son.”
Those were her words, and she recognized them instantly. She swallowed hard, squared her shoulders, and spoke.
“No one is above mistakes, my dear Alpha. Even you made a mistake by loving the Lycan King.”
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I smiled at that.
“A mistake?” I shook my head. “The only mistake I made was not rejecting your son the moment I discovered he was my mate.”
She went pale, but I didn’t stop there. I stepped closer, my eyes pinned on hers.
“The second mistake I made… was keeping that same Lycan King from killing your son when he had the chance. If he had, a night like this would never have come. Would it?”
I moved to bypass her, but her shaky voice stopped me.
“You will realize soon this is the best decision you’ve ever made. He will be the best for you, and you know it.” She turned her gaze on me. “Being an Alpha in your pack and a Luna in this pack… that’s the best you can get anywhere.”
I scoffed.
“Being Alpha of my pack and Queen of the Lycan Kingdom, that is the true best I can get anywhere.”
She stiffened at that, but I paid her no more attention as I walked out, making it clear that her son was the lesser choice. The highest, and always, was Lycannar.
***
I walked down the aisle. Alone. Varyn did not lead me. Instead, he stood at the entrance of the long hall, arms folded across his chest, looking almost bored. Too bored. He hadn’t appeared. Lycannar. And I almost smiled to myself, because I knew he wouldn’t come.
Dessyn and I had spoken, and she had promised to deliver the letter. Her gaze had been so sincere, and I could not have been more grateful.
I reached the great altar of Hue Pack and turned to face him. Nyroth. Behind him stood Kai, flashing me a smile, one I answered only with a narrow glare. He had been one of the bullies when I lived here as a rogue.
“Welcome,” the voice of the priestess rang out, and I swallowed as I turned toward her. Wait. Was it starting now? Was I truly going to be married to Nyroth?
“Welcome, everyone, for being here tonight. Under this full moon, we will witness the powerful union of two Alphas. And without further ado, we should…”
“Make the speech.”
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The voice of my brother came from the entrance. I turned to him. He still stood there, arms folded, looking utterly uninterested.
“Make the speech, priestess. My sister is the goddess of war. She is the first female Alpha. An Ashmere. Make it long. Let them know.”
I understood what he was doing in that moment. He was stalling. This wasn’t a wedding. He was buying time. And it was all the better, because Lycannar would not come, and by the end of this night, I would still be very much single, returning to my pack.
I smiled faintly, catching sight of Olivia where she sat. Her eyes were locked on my brother, a small smile curling her lips. I paused. What was that?
The question was still on my mind when the priestess prepared to begin.
And then… it came.
The sound.
I froze, straining to listen again. The pounding rhythm of hooves. Horse galloping.
My heart thundered against my ribs like never before.
Everywhere went still. Silence spread heavy across the hall, broken only by that sound, the horse, coming closer.
I whirled around.
But to my shock, my brother, who had been standing at the entrance, was gone.
Back Where 278
“Lycan.” I murmured his name as I dropped all restraint and headed out, only for my wrist to be caught by Nyroth. His stare froze me in place.
“Where are you going? It is a little wedding. Our wedding, Zeph.”
I jerked my wrist away as though he had said something utterly stupid.
“I’d rather stay single my entire life than be married to you,” I choked out bitterly before rushing out. My steps hurried, then quickened, my heart racing.
I burst outside just in time to see him. Lycannar.
He was on his horse, galloping, and I ran beyond Hue Pack’s gates to meet him.
He dismounted easily from the running beast, pulling me into his arms. I hugged him tightly, my heart swelling with the raw affection I had for him.
Then he pulled back, eyes searching mine. His gaze dropped to the jewelries on me, and I saw his jaw tighten.
He reached for them, to tear them off, but I was quick to speak.
“Lycan, didn’t
you get my letter?”
He frowned, that familiar crease forming between his brows.
“What letter?”
“I sent it through Dessyn. You weren’t supposed to come. I… I don’t know, but my brother is planning something, and I fear it will hurt you.”
At that, he swallowed, his gaze lifting past me toward Hue Pack. He sniffed the air, sharp and quiet.
“Is he here?”
“Who? Varyn?”
“Yes.”
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I paused, reaching for the Ashmere bond, and I felt it. I nodded faintly… then it came. The thunderous sound of bulldozing.
I froze, and Lycannar turned sharply, as if he too could feel it. His frown deepened, his brows furrowed. He pulled back from me, and my heart went cold.
“Lycan…” I called, but he didn’t have the chance to respond. His eyes shifted past me, and then I heard it again.
The Lycan Kingdom.
No… wait.
Another crash, heavier this time, shaved through the night, rumbling as though an empire itself had shifted.
And then I saw it. The change in Lycannar’s face. His emotions flickered raw as he turned back to his horse, leaning against it, swallowing hard.
“Lycan..”
“It’s my kingdom. I need to go,” he said heavily as he reached to mount his horse. “Come with
me.”
I reached for his hand, ready to go with him when it happened.
An attack. Sudden, cruel.
A spear came whistling from ahead, aimed straight at Lycannar. In a swift move, he shoved me out of harm’s way. But before he could save himself, it struck. He was thrown to the ground, the spear grazing across his upper arm.
Everything went hazy. My heart thudded.
Wait… what just happened?
“Lycan!” I screamed, rushing forward. But before I could reach him, he was surrounded.
A shield formation snapped into place around him, trapping him inside. He groaned, forcing himself up to his knees. My breath caught when I saw what the shield bore.
A mirror.
“No, Lycan!”
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But I was too late. He had lifted his head, and even the briefest glimpse was enough. He dropped his gaze at once, and with the spear that had cut him, he swung it skillfully, shattering the formation.
The warriors attacked, but they were no match. Lycannar was… different. Too different. He fended them off, striking with lethal precision, but every time the killing blow opened, he pulled back at the last second.
My brother was nowhere to be found. I could sense it that he was no longer here.
Fear clawed at me as I scrambled toward Lycannar. He had looked into the mirror. What did that mean for him?
“Lycan?” I called aloud as he staggered toward his horse, only to fall on one knee, his strength suddenly ripped from him.
I rushed to his side and froze in horror. Blood spilled from his mouth. My skin went pale.
“Lycan…”
“It’s my tower,” he murmured painfully. “I can feel it.”
Cold swept through me. His tower. That tower. My heart thudded wildly as I reached for his arm, desperate to help him up.
But luck abandoned me.
The Ashmere warriors struck again, their assault unleashed while Lycannar lay defenseless. Whatever spell had bound his tower together had been shattered, and with it, his strength drained.
I shielded him, compelling them to stop. They would not kill me, their Alpha. Varyn would have their heads first.
“Stop protecting him, Zeph. Come here!” Nyroth’s shout tore across the chaos as he dashed out from his pack. He surged forward, seizing my wrist in a bruising grip, dragging me away.
I struggled to pull free, but before I could another spear came. It flew straight toward Nyroth, but fate turned cruel.
Kai, rushing out from the pack to see what was happening, was struck instead. The spear drove into him, and he fell. In an instant, he was gone.
I turned in shock, only to see Lycannar standing now. He was the one who had thrown it. The same one who had cut down the Ashmere warriors, leaving them unconscious but not fatally
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wounded.
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His eyes locked on me one last time. Nyroth, stunned by Kai’s death, released my wrist.
Only then did Lycannar mount his horse. In the blink of an eye, he galloped toward his kingdom, toward the sound that had torn through the empire.
The sound that would crawl into history, etched forever in blood and fear as the night of the full moon when the great Black tower of the cursed Lycan King was brought crashing down by Varyn Ashmere, who had set his trap so meticulously that not even I had seen it coming.
And for one heart–spilling moment, I almost ran after him, desperate to join him, but then it
came.
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A growl tore from me, low and sacred, as the runes spread further across my skin, burning warm and holy. My gaze fixed on Lycannar’s galloping horse, and in that instant, my out with aching certainty “Mate.”
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“Open the gate! It’s the King!!” The loud command rang out just as my horse leapt into my kingdom. I leaned forward on its neck for a brief moment, stunned, weak, shaken, more than I had ever expected to be.
The sound, the bustle, the wails, all of it was a storm. Yet gradually, it slowed, quieted, until at last, the stillness spread across the entire kingdom.
All my life, though my father was shrewd, he had never taught me to be a coward. Nor had my father in the demon realm.
My brother and I were raised to face danger head–on, because we are royalty. Never to hide from it. I had believed, even respected, that Varyn Ashmere would also be that kind of man. But no. He wasn’t.
Slowly, I dismounted from my horse. My knees buckled, forcing me down onto one knee. It was vital, what he had broken. What he had done. It was… too much. I could feel it, smell it. And when I lifted my gaze, I could see it.
The Black tower. Built before I was born, brick by brick of spellwork, one of the strongest ever cast. The most sacred tower, fortified by magic greater than any beast or weapon we had ever known. Now it lay shattered.
I stared at the ruin, stunned. It must have been done by something launched from outside, striking the top, ripping it open, collapsing the tower stone by stone.
I looked down to where the wreckage had fallen, crushing the ground, and I saw it. The shattered ruin had struck my people.
“Chantel.” His name whispered from my lips. He was always in the Black tower. My jaw tightened against the choke rising in my chest as I staggered to my feet. My sisters.
I turned toward the gates, the realization pounding in my head. Varyn hadn’t wanted to kill me. Not yet.
If he had, he would never have lured me away from my kingdom. He would have struck the Black tower with me inside. No. Varyn Ashmere wanted me alive, to suffer. To watch my people bleed.
“Seal the gate,” I ordered, voice sharp and low. “Now.”
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Closing was different than sealing, Sealing meant no one came in, no one went out. My guards obeyed swiftly, just as another voice rang through the air.
“Lycan!”
I whirled around to see her. Mearez. gods. I rushed forward, and she met me halfway, throwing herself into my arms. I held her tightly before pulling back, freezing when I saw the blood streaked across her face.
“Mearez…”
“People are hurt, Lycan. What happened?” she demanded, but I couldn’t answer. My gaze darted around, searching.
“Where is Serena?”
“Baby brother!” She burst through the crowd, her body smeared with blood. She threw her arms around me, and I realized, with a shudder, just how terrified I was of losing them.
“So many are injured. You need to see them,” she whispered.
And just like that, the stillness shattered. The commotion rose again, voices clashing, cries echoing. Mearez grabbed my shoulders, her eyes sweeping over me. When she saw the blood at my lips, she went pale.
“Princess Mearez!” the healers called, but she ignored them.
“Lycan,” she breathed.
“Let’s go…” I started, but then it hit me. The one–hour limit. My body froze, the realization seizing me.
The potion Mearez had brewed for me, for this night only, so I could hold my form beneath the full moon. It was running out.
She saw it at once, and Serena rushed forward too, panic in her eyes.
“He’s going to shift. We need to get him to the steel chamber.”
I shook my head, clenching my fists.
“My people need me. Give me the potion again, Mearez, I’ll…”
“It weakens you, Lycan,” she cut me off, voice sharp with fear. “It dulls you more than you know. One dose is enough for a lifetime. If you take it again, you may never shift into your
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beast again. The steel chamber is your only choice. We’ll care for the kingdom until you
return.”
I was slipping, losing myself. As much as I wanted to resist, I couldn’t.
I headed for the steel chamber, my eyes flickering in color. I stopped in the hall, turning sharply.
“Chantel. Where is he?”
No answer. My gaze swept my sisters, freezing them in place.
“Where is Chantel?”
“I’m here.” His voice rang from ahead as he rushed forward, bowing deeply. “Someone is dead. I arrived too late and I couldn’t pull her from the crash in time.”
I went still, my gaze falling to the wound slashed across his arm. And I knew. As quickly as we heal, the Black tower’s wounds were different. They struck deeper.
The chill raced through me. How much it would hurt if he had died. gods, how much it would hurt. But it hurt anyway because he had just told me someone else had. My people had died. Many more were injured. All because of me.
I stood frozen as the sound of agony rose outside, the wails, the cries, the night shattered by grief. Slowly, I turned, walking into the steel chamber. Five iron doors sealed behind me. Thᴇ link to the origɪn of this information rᴇsts ɪn find•novel.net
As I stepped inside, I felt the shift tearing through me and there Zephyrine came to mind. Her arms around me, her shield protecting me, her worry. And yet Varyn had won tonight.
I had looked into that cursed mirror, caught a glimpse, not of my weakness, but of something else. A man. My reflection. My other self. And still nothing had happened.
Does that mean seeing my reflection isn’t my weakness?
That question echoed as I reached the chamber wall. Chantel bound my ankles, and I pulled shirt over my head, spreading my arms so he could shackle my wrists against the stone wall.
my
I lifted my gaze one last time to my sisters. Their faces were full of fear and sorrow, and I hated this. I hated this time of the month. But this was my curse, and I had long accepted it.
Chantel finished the bindings, stepping back.
“Go,” I told them, my voice low. I never wanted them to see me like this.
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Mearez swallowed hard, forcing strength into her voice as she grabbed Serena’s wrist.
“We’re needed, Serena. Come.” She pulled her away.
When they were gone, I gave Chantel one last command.
“Don’t guard the doors tonight. Go help the people. Go”
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He bowed deeply, obeying. The first door shut. Then the second. The third. The fourth. The final.
Silence.
Moments later, my senses blurred, my body breaking. The shift ripped through me, savage and merciless.
A howl burst from my chest, dying against the steel walls as the chains burned into my flesh, shackling me down. Agony upon agony consumed me.
Back Where 280
The sunlight bathed my bedchamber, but instead of warmth, it brought only more agony and a strange awe that still lingered.
Three days had passed since that night. The night etched forever in my mind. The night Lycannar was cornered, I was cornered, and he had come. The night Dessyn never delivered my letter. The night my wolf cried, Mate.
I still couldn’t wrap my mind around it. Couldn’t fathom the possibility. The thought was too frightening, too tender to trust. It felt too comforting, too heartbreaking all at once, to possibly be true.
Varyn had shattered the Black tower from outside Lycannar’s kingdom, and the collapse had caused screams of agony to ring across the land.
Ever since that night, the gates of his kingdom had never reopened. They were sealed shut, just like in the time of the former King.
Those were the reports I received. Words that even now I couldn’t fathom. Words that felt like a dream spoken to me while I was awake.
I lay in bed, weak. I hadn’t eaten in days. Not because of hunger, but because I was already deciding. Already making a choice… To go there. With or without Varyn’s permission.
Still, I dreaded being on his bad side. He was my brother. And yet I still clung to the hope that somehow, somehow, we could make peace.
I was caught in that thought when the sound of footsteps came through. I turned my back to the door, pretending to be asleep, thinking it was Isolde. But then the scent hit me. Not Ashmere. White Pack member.
Slowly, I turned. There she stood in the doorway. Dessyn.
My heart clenched. I sat up quickly as she walked slowly toward me, her face softened in plea, in apology. The rightful source is finḑnovel.net
“If only… if only I had delivered the letter. Maybe Apex would have been fine. Right?” she whispered regretfully.
I searched her eyes, my chest tightening. She looked so sorry. But her failure to deliver that letter had already cost too much. Did she know what she had done?
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“They forced him to look at his reflection in the mirror, Dessyn. He wouldn’t have come if he had read that letter, and…” I swallowed hard, trying to steady my breath. “I don’t know what that glimpse will do to him now. He caught sight of his own reflection. I fear what that will
mean.”
Silence fell between us. Tenderly, Dessyn sat down on the bed beside me with a sigh full of
sorrow.
“Zephyr… I think I’m going to break up with your brother.”
I froze. The words stunned me. I turned toward her in disbelief.
“What?”
“He’s… changed,” she murmured, voice tired, almost hollow.
“Dessyn…” I whispered, but before I could say more, she turned to me. I saw the tears brimming in her eyes, tears that tore something open inside me.
“He brought down the Black tower, Zeph. He hurt the Lycans. In a few days, he’ll be named Warlord of all werewolves. Do you realize what he’ll do then?”
The words made me go cold. Dessyn had always loved Varyn, yet hearing her speak like this, ready to leave him, made the truth begin to dawn.
“You love him. You can’t leave him,” I said softly, searching her.
She swallowed and asked instead,
“How do you think Apex is feeling? Don’t you
think you
you should go to him?”
I bit my lip, sighing shakily. Then she leaned closer, her voice lowering, meant for my ears alone.
“Varyn is leaving the pack tonight. If you want to leave, go then. I overheard him. He won’t return until tomorrow morning. You could go and come back before he even knows.”
I looked at her, my chest aching. Then I smiled faintly. My best friend. Of course she would take my
side. I reached for her hand, giving it a soft squeeze of gratitude, and nodded.
“I’ll go tonight, then. I’ll be back before dawn tomorrow. You’ll keep my secret, won’t you?”
She arched a brow with a gentle smile.
“Do you even need to ask? Your secret is safe with me, Zephyr.”
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Her words made me lighter. For the first time in days, I felt a flicker of relief. Smiling faintly, I turned toward the drawer, pulling out my ring. I stared at it for a long moment, then slid it onto my finger proudly.
“You love him that much?” Dessyn’s voice cut softly through the air. I turned, surprised by her question. She wasn’t crying anymore. Instead, she looked at me with quiet wonder.
“What?”
“Apex killed your father. He’s said to be a monster. And yet… you never hated him. Not once. You must love him too much, don’t you?”
Her words pierced me. I leaned back against the drawer, staring at her. Dessyn Dusk, my best friend. I would forever be grateful for her loyalty, her help.
I smiled faintly, nodding.
“I love Lycannar, Dessyn. So much it hurts. And I don’t want my brother fighting him.”
A shaky sigh escaped me as I remembered that moment, my wolf’s voice. And there, before no one but her, the one I trusted with all my heart, I admitted the truth.
“My wolf cried mate in Lycannar’s presence. But I don’t know if it’s true. It feels too good to believe. Too much like a dream. Tonight, I’ll go to him. I’ll find out. I need to confirm.”
Dessyn’s face went pale. Her lips parted, her voice trembling in stunned silence.
“And… what do you hope?”
Meeting her gaze with the most sincere heart, I whispered the words that burned in me.
“That he is… my second chance mate.”