Celeste. Her wolf was still frayed, her mind increasingly unstable.
I thought of her desperate eyes earlier tonight, her hands clutching at me with something close to mania.
I thought of the very real possibility that she’d thrown herself in front of a moving vehicle.
She wasn’t ready-not for the bond. And she sure as hell wasn’t ready for the responsibility.
And yet…my father wasn’t entirely wrong. The pack needed more than my strength. It needed faith. Unity. A
Luna.
My voice dropped, iron-low. “She’s not ready.”
“She doesn’t need to be ready. She needs to stand at your side. Everything else comes later.”
“No.” The word burst sharper than intended. “That’s not how this works. If I bind myself to someone who can’t carry the weight, I cripple the pack, not strengthen it.”
His silence was thick, then: “You’re letting sentiment cloud judgment again. Always sentiment with you,
Kieran. Even with Sera-“
My teeth snapped together. “Don’t”
I couldn’t bear to think about Sera right now. Couldn’t bear to slide down the slippery slope of comparing her eligibility as Luna to Celeste’s.
“Then prove me wrong,” my father growled, “Handle Marcus. Contain the rogues. Do it without dragging our name through the mud of your temper. Otherwise, I expect to see preparations for a wedding within the fortnight”
The line went dead.
I sat in the heavy quiet, the phone still pressed to my ear. My father’s words reverberated like thunder. A resounding truth I had to face.
Marcus was dangerous. Jack was reckless. The rogues were circling like vultures.
And through all the crowding thoughts, my son’s innocent voice echoed in my memory.
I closed my eyes, forcing breath through my lungs. Whatever chaos was gathering, I would not let it touch
Daniel. Or Sera.
I would not allow harm to reach my family.
KIERAN’S POV
I found Celeste pacing the room, hair wild like she’d been pulling at it. She’d changed into a silk gown, and it clung to her like armor.
The fireplace in the room was lit, and the light sharpened her edges, a queen ready for war instead of rest.
She spun at the sound of the door opening, hope and accusation flashing across her face all at once.
“As I live and breathe,” she said, her tone dripping with sarcasm. “Whatever could you be doing here?”
I ignored the bite. I had barely slept in my room since she moved in. I either slept in the pack house, spent the night in my office, or curled up in Daniel’s bed.
I kept my voice level. “I wanted to let you know I’ll be occupied for a while. There are…matters I need to attend to.”
Her eyes narrowed. “Occupied,” she echoed, bitterness dripping from the word. “Occupied with what, exactly?”
I sighed. “I’ll make it up to you when I’m able. I’ll take you out to dinner.”
Her laugh cracked sharply, equally as frustrated as it was angry. “A dinner? That’s your compensation? You couldn’t even mark me when I begged you-when I fucking offered myself to you-and now you want to pacify me with a meal?”
“Celeste-“
“No!” She hurled a vase-one that she herself had placed on the side table-against the wall, shards bursting across the floor.
The scent of lilies flooded the room, heavy and cloying, as water soaked into the carpet. Another crash. followed as she shoved a lamp aside. Shadows jumped violently with the firelight.
“Don’t ‘Celeste’ me like I’m some hysterical child! Do you think I don’t know? You think I don’t feel you pulling me away, using work and pack duties as fucking excuses!”
She seized a glass of water and hurled it at the wall. It shattered beside my head, sharp fragments skittering at my boots.
Her breathing came ragged, chest rising and falling beneath the silk. “Do you think I’ll be pushed aside that easily?” she shrieked. “After everything?”
I dragged a hand over my face, weariness settling deep. Her words dug in, sharper because they weren’t all lies.
But right now, I was bone-tired, carrying the echo of my father’s sharp words and Daniel’s innocent excitement; I couldn’t offer her the reassurance she desperately needed from me.
“I’ll speak to you later,” I said, turning away.
She laughed again, brittle and furious, the sound like splintered glass scattering behind me.
I didn’t look back.
***
The water cells were colder than usual, the dank air clinging to me like a second skin. Shadows danced across the stone as torches hissed weakly, their flames shivering in the draft.
Jack sat chained to the wall, his body a canvas of bruises. His jaw was mottled purple and green, his lips split, but his expression curved in something close to cockiness.
He looked up as I entered. “Back again, Alpha? Can’t get enough of me?”
I studied him for a moment, noting the arrogance simmering beneath his battered skin.
He’d endured more than most would, yet he still sneered.
That told me enough-Jack wasn’t fighting for his own pride. He was tethered to something darker, something that gave him a false shield against fear.
“You’ll be leaving soon,” I told him.
He tilted his head, mockery brightening his eyes. “So, my father came through, did he? I knew you’d fold.
Nightfang,” he scoffed, “all bark and no bite.”
I ignored the bait. “You’re right. Your father wants you back, and we’ll release you to him.”
Jack’s smile widened. “Wow, however will I repay this great favor you’ve done me?”
I stepped closer, my voice dropping. “I’m nothing if not altruistic. You’ll also leave here with mended.”
Suspicion flickered across his features. “Compassion, Kieran? Don’t insult me.” your wounds
“It isn’t compassion,” I said flatly. I nodded toward the healers waiting nearby. “See it as a…peace offering, if you will. An ice shower to cool your father’s temper.”
He scoffed, but didn’t protest as the healers moved in.
Their murmured incantations hummed low, their palms glowing faint gold as they pressed over his injuries.
The air filled with the sharp tang of herbs and ozone. Skin knitted. Bruises faded to pale yellow. His breaths evened as pain leeched away.
What he didn’t see was Gavin-silent, invisible-embedding a restraint beneath the surface. A clever piece of work, nearly imperceptible. A fail-safe, if you will.
It would sap his transformation at the worst moment, chain his strength when he needed it most.
Jack spat to the side when they were finished. “You think fixing me makes up for what you put me through?
You’ll regret this, Kieran. My father will make sure you choke on your arrogance.”
I crouched in front of him, my hand clamping hard on his jaw. His skin was clammy, his pulse frantic beneath my grip.
“Listen carefully,” I said, voice low, dangerous. “You’re walking out of here with your life, not because of
Marcus or pack politics, but because I chose it. Next time I see you, if you so much as blink wrong in my territory-alliance or no alliance-I will end you. Slowly. Torturously.”
His bravado faltered. The smug grin slipped. For a heartbeat, he was just a boy, staring into the eyes of a predator.
More Kickass Werewolf Reads
Dive into our collection of free werewolf romance novels—where fierce Alphas, daring heroines, and heart-stopping twists await. Every story burns with forbidden desire, loyalty, and destiny. Don’t wait—here’s a world where love bites hard and nothing is stronger than the call of the mate.
Leave a Reply