At the Spirit Bonding Rite, my sister Seraphina Whitlock saw the griffin choose me and burst into tears. “Please, Ava, you’re the Alpha’s eldest daughter. You’ve had everything your whole life. Can’t you let me have this one thing?” And just like that, the whole pack turned on me. They told me to be generous. I didn’t argue. I walked past the griffin, crouched beside the creature nobody wanted. A scrawny little black pup — nobody could even tell what species he was. I picked him up and held him against my chest. Behind me, I heard the whispers. She lost her mind. She gave up a griffin out of spite. But they didn’t know that pup was no mutt. He was an ancient Thunder Wolf . A beast born to command storms and lightning. … “Ava, please. You grew up spoiled by this pack. The best things have always belonged to you. I had to fight for every scrap just to catch up to you. Can’t you pity me for once?” Seraphina clutched the griffin she’d just taken — ripped straight out of my hands. Eyes wide. Glassy. Working the crowd without saying a word. If you didn’t know the truth, you’d think I was the villain. And pretty girls crying? That works on people. Every time. Around us, pack members started glaring at me. “Seraphina’s right. It’s just a spirit beast. With your bloodline, Ava, you’ll attract something even stronger. Seraphina’s not like you. She’s weak. She’s suffered. Grow up, Ava.” “Exactly, you’ve always been selfish. You never let your sister have anything.” I looked at all of them taking her side, and something complicated churned in my chest. I was the Alpha’s daughter. Born to lead. Raised at the center of everything this pack had to offer. I was stronger than the others. The whole younger generation grew up revolving around me. I thought that would never change. Until Liam — our pack’s Beta — brought a stranger back from patrol. He found her in a human village. Rogues had slaughtered almost everyone there. She was the only one left alive. Later, my parents revealed the truth. She was the daughter they had lost years ago. My little sister.
But the moment she came back, my fate started changing too. Seraphina had a gift for making people like her. She knew exactly what to say. And that fragile, innocent act of hers? It worked every time. She won the whole pack’s sympathy in just a few days. The elders saw how weak she was and ordered me to take care of her. But over time, she started treating everything I did for her like it was only natural. As if I owed it to her. She grew more disrespectful by the day. Whatever was left between us had turned to ice. Now, watching her hide behind Liam with that innocent look on her face — I just shrugged. She thought I was going to snatch the griffin back. So she instinctively took a few steps away. “Ava, I’ve never asked you for anything. Not once. Can’t you let me have this one thing? You already have everything, so why do you keep coming after me? Do you really have to push me this far? Will you only stop when I’m dead?” She liked to act helpless. But she was sharper than she let on. She knew exactly what that griffin was—a powerful fire-aligned spirit beast. If she bonded with it, her strength would rise fast. That was why she was willing to drop all pretense and fight me for it openly. She braced herself, ready for me to make a move. Too bad for her, because I couldn’t even be bothered to look at her. I walked straight past her, picked up the black cub everyone else had rejected. I held it close and stroked its fur. “It’s okay, you’re okay now. I’m taking you home.” I had barely made it a few steps. Liam stepped in front of me and threw out an arm to block my path. “Ava, enough. How long are you going to keep this up? You’re seriously choosing that worthless thing just because you’re angry? Do you want our whole pack to become a joke to every other pack in this territory?” I immediately covered the cub’s ears in my arms and thought, Don’t listen. Just some fool running his mouth. I walked right past him and threw one line over my shoulder. “We’ll see who the real joke is. It’s way too early to call it now.” Honestly, it was almost funny. The griffin was gifted, sure — but griffins were also notorious for being arrogant, hot-headed, and impossible to handle. If Seraphina wanted to make herself miserable, that was her problem. Because I wasn’t leaving empty-handed. I was walking out with an ancient power this pack had never seen. And we were going straight to the top.
The first time around, I ignored everyone’s warnings and fought Seraphina for the griffin anyway. As the Alpha’s daughter, my strength and status were far above hers. So in the end, she couldn’t take it from me. But because of that, the whole pack started seeing me as selfish and overbearing. Like I was some bully who got off on pushing her own sister down. And little by little, everyone started keeping their distance from me. As for the griffin I fought so hard to win, he turned out to be nothing but an ungrateful beast. When he shifted into human form, he took the name Icarus. I hadn’t even gotten a word out before he was already hitting me. “Why didn’t you let that girl take me? Do you know how much I despise you? People like you are the ones I hate most—born-alpha brats who think bloodline gives them the right to do whatever they want” He hit me again and again. My head spun. I went down hard, scrambling just to stay conscious. He only stopped when he could see I was close to dying. Even then, he looked annoyed he’d had to bother. The next morning, I was ready to send him straight back to the ritual altar. A spirit beast like that? I had no business trying to manage him. But then I watched him fight. He easily defeated every spirit beast bonded to our generation. Every single one. And just like that, I changed my mind. A spirit beast that powerful was too rare to give up. And I was ambitious. I wanted to use him to secure my future as Alpha. So every time he came at me, I gritted my teeth and took it. And the more I poured into him, the faster he grew stronger. That didn’t scare me — it thrilled me. It made me feel like everything I wanted was finally within reach. But the stronger he became, the more openly he looked down on me. Every time he knocked me down and stood over me, he’d spit on the ground in contempt. “If it weren’t for your bloodline giving me access to the finest moon essence and the best energy cores in this pack, I’d be sick just touching you.” He was right. In the entire pack, I was the only one who could give him the highest-grade resources. He despised me, but he still needed me. So I kept telling myself it didn’t matter. Given enough time, he would come around. And when that day came, the two of us together would be unbeatable among our generation.
But after I burned through most of my savings to get him an extremely rare energy core, he handed it to Seraphina right in front of me. Then he reached up and brushed his hand gently across her cheek. “Don’t worry. As long as I’m here, no one will ever hurt you again.” I had already put up with too much in the name of power. But everyone has a breaking point. And then Seraphina looked straight at me with that smirk on her face— then deliberately loosened her grip and let the energy core drop. It hit the ground with a sharp crack. She covered her mouth and widened her eyes in fake surprise. “Oops. I guess I didn’t hold it tight enough. You’re not mad at me, are you, Ava?” I couldn’t take it anymore. I lunged at her, ready to tear her apart. But before my hand could even brush a single strand of her hair, Icarus kicked me so hard I went flying. Then he came down on me, one foot planted on my chest. “If I hadn’t wanted your status and your resources, I never would’ve let you bond with me. Now my power is fully grown. I don’t need you anymore.” Then he crushed my heart with his own hand. I could only watch as Seraphina stepped in and took everything that had once been mine. The griffin I had poured everything into submitted to her willingly. Even the pack members I had grown up with cheered at my death. They whispered behind my back that someone like me — privileged, untouchable — had it coming. Only my parents, the Alpha and Luna of the pack, were destroyed by my death. When they went to demand an explanation from Seraphina, Icarus drove his claws straight through their chests. And Seraphina? She just stood there, voice dripping with fake innocence — “Huh. I always wondered if Alpha blood ran red just like everyone else’s.” I threw myself over their bodies and screamed. Maybe the Moon Goddess heard my grief. Maybe she heard the injustice of it. Because she gave me another chance. Seraphina. This time, blood will answer for blood.
After I carried the cub back to my room, I immediately took out the moonlit herbs and healing elixirs I’d been saving. I carefully fed them to him. One cup, then a second, then a third. By the time I poured the fourth, I glanced at what was left of my precious stash and started having second thoughts. How was this little guy burning through resources even faster than the griffin had the first time around? I was not about to raise another ungrateful beast. Just as I was grumbling to myself, a burst of white light exploded in the air before me. Standing there was a tall, lean man with his bare chest completely exposed. My face went red immediately. “Oh my — put some clothes on! Now! You can’t just walk around like that.” But before I could say anything else, I heard a quiet sniffle. I looked up again. He was crying. Tears slid down his face — a face almost too perfect to look at. And somehow, watching him cry, I felt a pull I had no business feeling. Ugh. What was wrong with me? I rushed over and steadied him. “Wait — why are you crying? Did I scare you? Come on, buddy, don’t do anything stupid on me, okay?” But he only looked at me with those deep, shimmering eyes and took my hand. “I’m not worth wasting so many precious potions on.” “I’m just dead weight. I’d only cause trouble for you.” “My power is weak. I couldn’t even beat a young forest wolf. Training me would only waste your time and resources.” His voice was shaking the whole time. It was obvious he had almost no confidence in himself. A man that beautiful, crying right in front of you? It hits different. I’m not going to lie. When I opened my mouth to respond, I started stumbling over my own words.
“You’re… you’re amazing. Don’t think that way about yourself. And if anyone dares say one bad thing about you, I’ll go knock their teeth out myself.” A flicker of hope flashed through his eyes, but it disappeared just as quickly. In the next second, he lowered his head again, shrinking back into himself. “Are you lying to me too?” “I’m sorry. I have nothing right now. I can’t repay you. But I’ll try. I really will.” His words were so small, so worn down. And somehow, they made the sadness around him feel even heavier. I had no idea what the divine wolf could have gone through to become this insecure. And the moment I chose him, I meant to see it through. So I placed a hand on his back and gently patted him. “Hey. Look at me — as long as I’m alive, this is your home. You hear me?” No one had ever said words like that to him before. He hesitated for a long moment, then finally chose to believe me. Flustered, he carefully worked a wolf-fang necklace free from around his neck and pressed it into my hand. It had been stained dark — worn through with old blood. He rushed to explain, almost afraid I’d turn it down. “This is the only valuable thing I have left. Take it. And don’t worry—one day, I’ll give you the very best of everything.” The certainty in his voice made something in my chest go warm. Just then, a rapid knock came from outside the door. “Ava, are you in there? I need to talk to you!” Seraphina.
Before I could even open the door, the griffin behind her—Icarus—kicked it open with one brutal strike. Seraphina strolled in like she owned the place and dropped into my chair. “Ava, Icarus is still a little weak, and I don’t exactly have anything valuable on hand. So hand over your moon essence and let me use some. You’ve got plenty of resources anyway. It’s not like this little bit means anything to you.” I honestly thought I’d misheard her. Then my mouth twitched. “Do I owe you something? If you want what’s mine, fine—pay market price. I won’t charge you a cent more.” Seraphina hadn’t even opened her mouth. Icarus cut in from behind her, staring at me with cold contempt. “You should be honored we even came to you. Don’t be ungrateful.” Unbelievable. The owner had no shame, and her spirit beast was cut from the same cloth. “Oh, is that what this is?” “Then maybe I’ll take my generosity somewhere it’s actually appreciated. And you—a spirit beast who only just took human form—what exactly gives you the right to talk to me like that?” A proud Icarus was never going to take that quietly. He stepped forward at once, raising a hand to strike me. But before his palm could come down, a powerful force slammed into him. The force sent him flying clean across the room. Both of them froze, eyes wide with shock. Kieran stepped out from behind me and placed himself between us. “You raise your hand against the future Alpha, and this is supposed to pass for manners?” Humiliated in front of Seraphina, Icarus wasn’t about to let that slide. With a roar, he charged forward again. But this time, the person who stopped him was Seraphina. She fixed her gaze on Kieran’s face. Hungry. Unashamed. “So you’re the cub from yesterday.” “I never expected you to look like this after shifting. Well. Aren’t you full of surprises.” Icarus clearly hadn’t expected Seraphina to admire another man right in front of him. For a second, he looked completely thrown. But Kieran didn’t respond to her flirtation at all. He looked at her like she wasn’t even there, his expression cold. “Miss Seraphina, if there’s something wrong with your eyes, you should get that treated before it gets worse. If you go blind someday, you won’t just drag down the whole pack.” “You’ll drag down my —” “— Ava.” The way he said my name—low and intimate—sent a shiver straight through me. And I didn’t stop him. “How dare you!” That was the final straw for Icarus. His pride had been trampled harder than ever before. In the next second, he gathered all his power, turned into a streak of fire, and shot straight toward Kieran’s face. That attack was meant to kill.
Before I could react, Kieran was already moving. He met Icarus head-on and landed a clean, solid strike right into him. Icarus flew out of the courtyard like a rag doll. He hit the ground hard and coughed up a mouthful of blood. Seraphina stomped her foot in frustration and rushed after him. Even then, she still turned back to steal one last look at Kieran before leaving. I hurried to shut the door, then pulled Kieran toward me and checked him over head to toe. “Are you hurt? Does anything hurt? You scared me half to death. Why would you take him head-on like that? What was I supposed to do if you got hurt?” Kieran stared at me for a moment. Then he suddenly reached for my hand and held on. “I don’t know. I just saw them treating you like that, and I got angry. I only wanted to stand up for you.” “Did I do something wrong?” Looking at him like that—so helpless, so innocent—I couldn’t bring myself to scold him. Besides, those two had it coming. So I let it go and spent the next few minutes talking him down. I’d already forgotten about the strange intimacy in his voice when he called my name earlier. But in his eyes, just for an instant, something flickered — quiet, satisfied, like a plan that had gone exactly right.
The quiet didn’t last. A few days later, the council of elders summoned me. The moment I stepped into the great hall, I saw Seraphina kneeling below the dais, crying to the elders about all the terrible things I had supposedly done. “I know I come from a lowly background,” she sobbed. “Ever since I returned to the pack, I’ve been careful with every step. I never dared overstep. But I don’t know how I offended Ava. She targets me at every turn… If this is what it’s come to, then I’d rather die to prove I’m innocent!” With that, she lurched to her feet and tried to throw herself at one of the stone pillars, only to be stopped by the people beside her. I let out a cold laugh and walked in. “So my dear sister hates me this much?” I said. “That’s heartbreaking. Over the years, what have you ever asked for that I didn’t give you? Take the griffin, for example. I knew you wanted it, so I let you have it. So tell me—what do you want from me this time?” In a few lines, I made two things clear: I wasn’t the one in the wrong, and Seraphina wasn’t here for justice. She was here for what I had. Her face stiffened instantly. “I may have been human once,” she snapped, “but I won’t accept that kind of slander!” “That’s enough. Silence.” A powerful voice cut through the hall from the elders’ seats above. My father. The current Alpha of the pack. Only then did Seraphina shut her mouth, though not willingly. I looked at my father—still strong, still alive, still standing where he belonged— and felt my eyes sting. The first time around, he had died under Icarus’s claws—killed for trying to get justice for me. Kieran felt the shift in my mood and quietly squeezed my hand. “Seraphina,” my father said, “you claim Ava ordered her spirit beast to injure Icarus. Do you have proof?” That was the question Seraphina had been waiting for. She immediately pulled Icarus forward. The second I got a clear look at his face, even I was startled. He had always relied on my resources to maintain his strength. Now that he had lost access to them—and after Kieran had injured him— his face was deathly pale, and his aura was unstable. He shot me a vicious glare, then reluctantly lifted his shirt to reveal the wounds on his body. His chest and abdomen were covered in overlapping bruises and burns. Some of the wounds had already begun to rot, oozing pus and giving off a foul smell. Seraphina burst into tears on cue. “That day, I only wanted to borrow some moon essence from Ava,” she cried. “But she humiliated me. She said someone of my status had no right to use something so precious, and then she had her spirit beast attack Icarus! I know I’m not worthy, but I still have my dignity!” She painted herself as a proud, wounded victim so convincingly that the younger pack members started speaking up for her one after another. They demanded that the Alpha punish me severely, saying anything less would never convince the rest of the pack. I knew better. They weren’t standing up for Seraphina. They were eyeing the top-grade resources I’d lose if I were punished. The greed in their eyes was practically spilling over. And just as the pressure in the hall reached its peak, Kieran stepped forward from beside me. “He’s lying.”
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