“
And when Calvin stood before the previous alpha, demanding to stand by Elaine’s side, to defend her honor as both her brother and as the future beta, he had been shut down. Ordered to step aside. Reminded that he was not the one in charge, merely a tool of the alpha’s will.’ Do not meddle with the alpha’s decision,” he was told, as though his sister’s life and heart were nothing but collateral damage in a political choice. His parents had said nothing in his defense, simply nodding in quiet obedience, agreeing to every decree laid down by the alpha couple.
That day, Calvin had lost more than his voice in the pack. He lost the right to be called brother.
He had been forced to watch Elaine suffer in silence, powerless to intervene. Every cry, every hollow look in her eyes carved itself into his soul, and he carried that guilt like a chain around his neck. It had taken years for his relationship with Michael and Kathy to find any kind of stability again. For the longest time, he blamed them entirely for Elaine’s downfall. He hated them for the pain they brought into her life.
But eventually, he began to see the truth-that Michael and Kathy, too, had been bound by the decisions of the previous alpha. Their hands had been tied, their choices twisted until there was no real choice at all. That realization had softened his anger toward them, but not toward his parents. No, his parents had stood there willingly, watching their daughter wither away, and had done nothing. That betrayal, Calvin knew, could never be forgiven.
The last time he saw Elaine still haunted him. She had been utterly broken, her spirit stripped bare. Gone was the sister he had known-the vibrant, teasing, full-of-life young woman who had once been the heart of their family. In her place stood a hollow shell, her eyes vacant, her laughter gone, her shoulders hunched as though carrying the weight of the world. It was like watching a corpse walk, and the memory still made his chest ache. No wonder he could not forgive his parents, or the alpha couple who had just stood and watched. He was not even sure how they explained what happened to council Lucius that day.
But he bet they just told him about the miscarriage not the reason why it happened.
Michael’s voice broke into his thoughts, carrying a quiet sorrow. “He was an alpha. He was used to making decisions for the good of the pack, without ever considering the consequences.” His tone was heavy, every word lined with regret.
Calvin turned to look at him, seeing the weariness etched into Michael’s face.
“I just hope I can be a better alpha,” Michael said softly, “and a better father to Leo. How will ! ever tell my son to honor the Goddess’s will, to respect the mate bond, when I myself disrespected it? How can I guide him when I failed so completely?”
For once, Calvin had no answer. He had seen the guilt Michael carried these past three years, and he knew Kathy carried it too. The weight of their union was heavy, and neither of them bore their marks with pride. Calvin had noticed, time and again, that at every gathering, Kathy’s neck was always covered-a scarf, a high collar, a necklace-anything to hide what should have been a badge of honor. Even Michael rarely bared his mark.
They could not, because the scars of their choices lingered, visible or not.
“You will be a better alpha and a better father,” Calvin said firmly after a long silence. “You’re already proving it. You listen to your pack members. You put them above your pride. When the rogue attacks grew worse, you didn’t hesitate to call Crescent Moon for help.
That humility, that willingness to put the pack first-that is the sign of a true leader.”
He paused, his voice softening. “As for Leo, he’s still too young to understand. But when the time comes, tell him the truth. Be honest with him about what happened. Let him see that every action-every choice-comes with consequences.
That will be the greatest lesson you can give him.”
Michael’s shoulders sagged as he released a slow breath, some of the tension easing from his frame.
“And as for Elaine,” Calvin continued, his voice almost a whisper now, “in time… she will forgive us. The Goddess willing, there will come a day when she can look at us without pain in her eyes. Until then, all we can do is wait, and pray that we will be given the chance to make it up to her.”
Calvin lifted his eyes toward the night sky, silently sending his prayer to the Goddess. He prayed with everything in him that his words would come true-that one day, Elaine would find it in her heart to forgive. But deep inside, he feared that some wounds never healed, and some broken bonds could never be restored.
“We will be there in a few days, Alpha Michael,” Darius said firmly before hanging up the phone.
The office was quiet except for the soft ticking of the clock on the wall. Papers were neatly stacked on his desk, maps of surrounding territories marked with colored pins. Darius leaned back in his chair, his mind already running through strategies and preparations.
Marcus, his ever-curious beta, raised a brow. “What was that about?”
Darius rubbed a hand across his jaw, then looked up. “Alpha Michael asked for our assistance with the rogue problem they’ve been having. He wants a joint training between our warriors and theirs. There’s been a surge of attacks along their northern border, and they need help containing it.”
Marcus shifted his weight, arms crossed. “When are we leaving? The mating ball is only three weeks away.”
“Yes,” Darius said, his tone thoughtful, “but this cannot wait. We will leave in a week, and we’ll stay there until after the mating ball. Organize the warriors who will accompany us.”
Marcus’s brow furrowed. “And what about the unmated pack members who are supposed to attend the ball? They’ll be disappointed if they think they’re missing it.”
“They won’t miss it,” Darius replied. His voice was calm but resolute. “They’ll arrive on the day of the ball, as planned. For now, we’ll only bring the warriors who are needed for training and for pushing back the rogues.”
Marcus gave a short nod. “Understood. I’ll make the preparations.” Then, with a sly grin tugging at his lips, he added, “Just make sure Roselyn shows up to the ball this time and doesn’t vanish like she always does.”
Darius let out a heavy sigh. His beta wasn’t wrong. His younger sister had a reputation for disappearing during mating balls and whenever other packs visited. She always managed to slip away, finding some excuse to be outside the pack lands or tucked away where no one could bother her.
“It’s not just shyness,” Darius said, his voice lowering as if the weight of his sister’s choices pressed on him. “She admitted to me she’s been avoiding meeting her fated mate. She doesn’t want to face it. This year, I told her she has no choice-she will attend.”
Marcus tilted his head, curiosity sparking in his eyes. “And why exactly is she so determined to avoid him?”
“She claims she’s not ready to settle down,” Darius muttered, half in frustration, half in confusion. He shook his head. “But that doesn’t make sense. Everyone waits their whole life for their mate. Why would she run from what the Moon Goddess has chosen for her?”
Marcus shrugged. “Not everyone dreams of responsibility, Alpha. Maybe she’s afraid of what it means. A mate bond is powerful-it changes everything.”
Darius frowned. The thought of his sister alone, resisting something so natural, unsettled him.
Marcus spoke again, a glimmer of amusement in his tone. “What about the luna? Maybe she can convince Roselyn to attend. She has more sway than you do.”
Darius leaned back in his chair, exhaling slowly. “Elaine is not coming. Outside our pack, it’s still unknown that she is my chosen luna. The agreement was for three years, and this year’s mating ball marks the end of that agreement. After this, I can finally announce our bond and give her the luna ceremony she deserves.”
“But,” he added after a pause, “I might still ask her to keep an eye on Roselyn. Maybe she’ll succeed where I cannot.”
Marcus chuckled, shaking his head. “Good luck with that. You know Roselyn and the luna cover for each other every chance they get.”
Darius’s lips curved into a faint smile at the truth of those words. Elaine and Roselyn had grown inseparable ever since Elaine transferred to Crescent Moon. He remembered the first time he realized the depth of their friendship-how Elaine had known all along about Roselyn’s avoidance of her mate yet never told him. When he confronted her, demanding why she had kept it from him, Elaine had looked him square in the eyes and said, ‘Roselyn isn’t just my best friend, Darius. She’s my sister in my heart.
I won’t betray her trust.’
The memory softened him, even now. He remembered smiling despite his frustration, because that loyalty, that fierce protectiveness, was exactly why he loved Elaine-and why he couldn’t wait for the day the whole pack would recognize her as his luna.
Later that evening, the training grounds buzzed with energy. Warriors gathered under the fading light, the clang of weapons and the sharp bark of commands filling the air. Marcus was already there, clipboard in hand, calling out names and checking off who would be traveling to Silverblade.
“Form ranks!” Marcus ordered.
The warriors moved quickly, their boots crunching against the dirt. The scent of sweat and steel lingered in the cool evening breeze. Darius watched from the edge, arms crossed, taking in the sight of his pack’s strength. These men and women were his pride-the shield of Crescent Moon.
“Alpha,” one of the younger warriors, Elias, stepped forward. His shoulders were broad, his stance eager. “Will we be facing the rogues directly, or only training?”
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.