The Alpha Who Burned My Pack And Killed My Pup

William Ward took Ryan Ward away and called a healer for me.

He could vent his anger, but he couldn’t risk my life.

There were those above him eyeing his position, and during the three years I was imprisoned, he feigned illness to the outside world. How many waves of probing eyes came and went?

Without anyone to tend to me, it was inevitable—I fell ill in the middle of the night.

This time, the dream was uneasy. I didn’t see Cleo Moore, but instead, I dreamt of the past.

It was back when William was just a low-ranking Gamma in the Ward Pack.

He found me hunting by the cliffs, carefully placing the rabbits he’d hunted one by one into my catch.

When I caught him, he said:

"Luna, your health is fragile, and I fear you might overexert yourself. I only wanted to ensure you didn’t return empty-handed."

It was before his mother fell gravely ill.

I went to his home to see her, and he held his ailing mother in his arms, yet he never once asked for my help.

He said:

"Luna, you shouldn’t have to see such suffering. You were born to live without worry."

It was before he tentatively placed the necklace he’d spent all his savings on around my neck.

He said:

"Luna Estelle, you are the most beautiful person I’ve ever laid eyes on."

How pitiful it is that women cling to such fleeting affections. I defied my grandfather’s wishes and brought the entire Coleman Pack with me to mate him.

In the early days of our mating, he treated me with genuine care.

But then, my grandfather, the Lycan King, shielded the current King from an assassin’s claws and died that very night. The entire Coleman Pack was burned to the ground in retaliation.

Every one of the thirteen hundred souls in that pack was consumed by the flames.

My brother, my father, even my toddling nephew.

It must have hurt so much. Did they cry in pain?

And what was I doing at that time?

I was throwing a tantrum because William had glanced at another woman.

How laughable, how despicable.

Why wasn’t I the one consumed by those flames?

I’ve thought that more than once.

From that day on, the King, pitying me as the last of the Coleman Pack, promoted William to Alpha.

He even issued a decree: any pup I bore would be the heir to the Coleman legacy.

My first pup would carry the Coleman name.

He was to be the future of our pack!

He was the only hope I’ve clung to all these years.

But I don’t understand why.

Why, when I drank the tea offered by that unfamiliar woman on the street, did it all go wrong? She was kind, her scent gentle as she said:

"It’s a hot day, Luna. This will refresh you."

From that day, my pup turned into a pool of crimson, flowing endlessly, endlessly.

I was pulled back into the flames of that horrifying night.

That woman deserved to die.

And so did others.

When I mated, my mother told me that males were the most unreliable creatures in the world.

I knew that hearts could change in an instant.

But it wasn’t until after I killed Cleo, and William went mad, whipping me with a fury I’d never seen, that I realized.

His true heart was never mine.

So, was it really that woman who deserved to die?

A cold touch brushed my forehead, jolting me awake.

Outside, a clap of thunder lit up the room, and there, kneeling by my bed, was Ryan Ward, gently placing a cool cloth on my head.

He flinched when he saw me wake, a few drops of water flicking from his hand.

I suddenly remembered a time when William had caressed my belly, his scent soft:

"Estelle, our pup will be the finest this world has ever seen."

In the long darkness of the night, I let out a heavy breath.

"How dare you come here?" I asked him.

"Aren’t you afraid I’ll kill you too?"

Ryan was silent for a long time.

Finally, he rinsed a new cloth and said in a low voice:

"Luna, from the moment I first caught your scent, I knew."

He pressed the cloth to my forehead, his brow furrowed in deep concentration.

"You must be in so much pain."

"Luna, you’re someone who worries others."

"Just like my mother, crying by the window every night three years ago."

Another crack of thunder echoed outside.

Another spring rain had begun to fall.