Elvie

"Wake up, Ellie. I told you last night—the Alpha left the pack. I need to get to the estate early."

I was deep in sleep when a loud banging on my door yanked me awake. Groaning, I tried to ignore it, I buried my head under the pillow, trying to block it out. But then, his voice cut through, clear as day—and full of menace.

"If you don't come out right now, I'll kill your boyfriend."

My eyes flew open.

"Alright, I'm up! I'm coming out. Just give me a second."

The one banging on my door? My brother, Nathan.

He was three years older than me and had just promoted to Gamma of the Moonshadow Pack. With that title came more responsibilities—and, apparently, more ways to annoy me.

"Good girl."

I rolled my eyes. He knew exactly how to push my buttons—by threatening my boyfriend, Victor Kane.

Victor was the best thing that had ever happened to me. I trusted him completely. And I knew he loved me just as much.

Our pack had a unique rule.

An Alpha could not reject his fated mate—if he did, she would die.

And if that wasn't bad enough, the other Alphas would strip him of his title as the leader of Moonshadow Pack. Losing his status? That was—a fate worse than death.

Luckily, my boyfriend wasn't the Alpha. He was the Alpha's younger brother.

Even though they were blood-related, the two couldn’t be more different.

Victor was calm, level-headed, and easy to get along with.

His brother, Lucian, was the complete opposite—cold, ruthless, and feared by everyone in the pack. People said his stare like a dagger, sharp enough to cut through you. Just being near him sent chills down your spine, like you were standing too close to a predator ready to strike. In the world of wolves, nothing he did was random. Every move was calculated, every action deliberate.

His presence alone could bring an Alpha to his knees. He wasn't just the strongest Alpha—he was also a business tycoon, the mastermind behind our pack's rise to wealth and power.

Shaking off the grogginess, I took a quick shower, threw on a simple blue dress, laced up my sneakers, grabbed my phone and bag, and dashed downstairs.

"See? For once, she's actually on time," I heard Nathan grumble to Mom.

"Mom, don't listen to him! He and his Alpha are driving me insane. He just casually mentioned last night that we had to leave early today, but did he say how early? Nope! Thanks to him, I barely got any sleep." I huffed.

Mom chuckled, already used to our constant bickering, "Alright, enough, you two. You should get going."

After saying our goodbyes, Nathan and I headed out.

He dropped me off at the front gate of my university.

Moonshadow University

My dream school. I had worked my ass off to get in, and now, here I was—a freshman, finally living in the dream.

After sitting through a few classes, boredom started creeping in. My best friend, Faye, wasn't in today.

‘Where is she?’ I wondered, pulling out my phone to call her.

No answer.

I glanced over at Victor's usual seat.

Empty.

Frowning, I dialed his number.

After two rings, he picked up.

"Hey, babe".

"Where are you, Victor?"

"I told you last night—Lucian went to Eclipse Howlers Pack to pick up my future sister-in-law. Their engagement is tomorrow. So, I'm at the pack estate helping out. "

"Oh! Right. How could I forget about my big brother's engagement ceremony? That explains why Nathan left early today. He mentioned we were invited too."

Victor chuckled. “Don't worry, babe. Even if you forget, I'll remind you. I just wish you were here. But it's fine—you should be in class. I'll call you later, alright?"

"Alright. Bye".

"Bye."

As soon as Victor hung up, I let out a deep sigh.

I knew it was normal for him to be busy helping his family, but I still missed him so much.

Suddenly, an idea flashed in my mind.

‘Why not go to the pack estate and surprise him? He'll definitely be happy to see me.’

I walked out of the university and hailed a taxi.

Twenty minutes later, I arrived at the pack estate.

The moment I stepped inside, a wave of floral fragrance wrapped around me. The entire place looked like something out of a fairytale—blooming flowers everywhere, their colorful petals forming a mesmerizing rainbow. Elegant bouquets decorated the walls, cascading like waterfalls, each one more beautiful than the last.

It was breathtaking.

I glanced around, scanning the area for Victor. Nowhere in sight.

I spotted a maid and asked, "Excuse me, where's Victor?"

"He's in his bedroom."

"Alright, Thank you."

I headed upstairs, my heart racing with excitement.

Just as I reached the door, I froze—

A long, sensual moan echoed from inside.

My stomach twisted.

‘What the hell was Victor doing in there? And whose moan was that?’

Dread settled in as my hands trembled on the doorknob.

Taking a deep breath, I pushed the door open.

And then—I went completely numb.