Chapter 26\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 26\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u2013Draven\u2013\u00a0<\/p>\n
Silvermoon Pack\u00a0<\/p>\n
I sat in my Alpha\u2019s private office.\u00a0<\/p>\n
It\u2019s late at night.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Having drinks with my Beta, Rylan.\u00a0<\/p>\n
:\u00a0<\/p>\n
The Packhouse had been packed with loads of work these days.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I barely had time to breathe.\u00a0<\/p>\n
After Kaia\u2019s exile,all the Pack responsibilities fell on my shoulders.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Liora could have helped but she\u2019s very pregnant.\u00a0<\/p>\n
A lot of work isn\u2019t good for her.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I stared at the chandelier.\u00a0<\/p>\n
A glass of amber liquor remains untouched in my hand.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cDo you ever wonder,\u201d I began. \u201cIf I did the right thing\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Beta Rylan raised his head from the papers he was organizing.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cRight about what,Alpha?\u201d He asked.\u00a0<\/p>\n
My jaw worked. I didn\u2019t look away from my glass.\u00a0<\/p>\n
165 vouchers\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cAbout crowning Liora. The high priest warned me\u2026.Said the moon goddess mark doesn\u2019t vanish without reason\u201d I say.\u201d Said Kaia\u2019s rejection wasn\u2019t just disobedience,but a sign\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Rylan snorted softly, setting the papers down. \u201cWith respect, Alpha, the High Priest has always been too superstitious for his own good. You did what any strong Alpha would\u2019ve done. You chose the woman who stood by you when your mate betrayed you.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cHave you forgotten so soon how Kaia plotted to kill Liora and the future heir? She\u2019s a traitor. Serves her right that you rejected her immediately\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
My eyes flickered. \u201cShe didn\u2019t just betray me. She betrayed the entire pack\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cExactly,\u201d Rylan sympathetically says. \u201cShe betrayed our trust yet the high priest still thinks she\u2019s some righteous good fortune\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI saw the evidence. The testimonies from the captured rogues,who confessed under oath. How could anyone\u00a0<\/p>\n
18:24 Tue, Jan 20\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 26\u00a0<\/p>\n
be so vicious?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Kaia wasn\u2019t always like this. Or so I thought.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She hid her true colors so well and fooled me.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She fooled everyone then betrayed our trust because she couldn\u2019t control her jealousy.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd yet you ask me if you did the right thing. Of course you did,Alpha Draven\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I looked up then, something unsteady in my expression.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Doubts, guilt, exhaustion.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I can\u2019t tell which it is.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cSometimes, I think I still hear her voice. In the hall. In my sleep.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Before Rylan could answer, a knock sounded.\u00a0<\/p>\n
My delta entered, bowing low, holding a sealed scroll wrapped in black wax.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cA package,Alpha. From the Shadowclaw Pack, it\u2019s bearing the Pack\u2019s crest\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I frowned. \u201cShadowclaw?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
My Delta nodded and left.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I broke the seal, scanning the words quickly.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Rylan watched as my brow furrowed.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat is it?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
64\u00a0<\/p>\n
E55 vouchers\u00a0<\/p>\n
I exhaled slowly. \u201cA formal request for an audience. The new Alpha seeks an alliance treaty. Says it\u2019s\u2026 urgent.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
This is impossible.\u00a0<\/p>\n
A grin spread across Rylan\u2019s face.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou see? I told you, crowning Liora was good for us. The pack looks stronger. Stable. You have a Luna who\u2019s giving you an heir, and now, the other territories want to stand with Silvermoon again.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I said nothing.\u00a0<\/p>\n
My eyes stayed on the letter, but my mind was somewhere else.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Almost four years since I took over the pack.\u00a0<\/p>\n
A miracle like this hasn\u2019t occurred since my coronation.\u00a0<\/p>\n
18:24 Tue, Jan 20\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 26\u00a0<\/p>\n
The Shadowclaw Pack wants a treaty with my pack.\u00a0<\/p>\n
64)\u00a0<\/p>\n
55 vouchers\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cShe\u2019s good for the pack,\u201d Rylan pressed on.\u201dFor you, Alpha. The others are finally seeing it. You\u2019ll see,once the pup is born, everything will fall into place\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I stood up,my finger wrapping the scroll tightly.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Looking toward the window, the storm rolled around.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cMaybe,\u201d I say. \u201cShe\u2019s good for us,and the high priest is just paranoid\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI believe so too,Alpha\u201d Rylan stood up as well. \u201cWe should prepare to welcome the Shadowclaw Alpha. Don\u2019t you agree?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I nodded, concealing my excitement.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI agree. Let\u2019s do that\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u2013Liora\u2013\u00a0<\/p>\n
I couldn\u2019t rest easy knowing my accomplices still live in the pack.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Though imprisoned for their involvement in my attack.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The one that I staged in cohort with the rogues to get rid of Kaia.\u00a0<\/p>\n
And it\u2019s worked.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Because Kaia got kicked to the curb for attempting to kill me and my child.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But after weeks,I need to get rid of the rogues before something goes wrong.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I tightened my veil and slipped out through the servants\u2019 passage behind the east wing.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The rogues were waiting in the clearing, shadows with hungry eyes.\u00a0<\/p>\n
One of them, the scarred one who had attacked me that night, stepped forward, bowing mockingly.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou said we\u2019d be safe,Luna\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I smiled, the title tastes like sugar on my tongue.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Being Luna does feel so good. Powerful even.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re safe. But, only if you disappear. Leave the borders tonight. Head north and never return\u201d I firmly warned, my face stoic.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The rogue hesitated.\u201dAnd what about our rewards?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I leaned in, whispering in his ear. \u201cYour reward is in place. You just need to get out of here faster than I blink my eyes\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
18:24 Tue, Jan 20\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 26\u00a0<\/p>\n
He stiffened. The others backed away. They knew better than to push me.\u00a0<\/p>\n
As they turned to go, one of them; a smaller man with yellowed eyes, laughed under his breath.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cCan\u2019t believe we got away with it. Successfully framed that bitch and no one even blinked\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
My smile didn\u2019t falter,but my eyes went cold.\u00a0<\/p>\n
64\u00a0<\/p>\n
55 vouchers\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWatch your mouth,\u201d I warned coldly. \u201cThe forgotten have a way of crawling back when you speak their name out too loudly\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cOops,my bad. I\u2019m sorry,Luna\u201d the rogue pinched his tongue.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I heaved a sigh.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Dipping my hand into my purse, I pulled envelopes.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cHere are your rewards,\u201d I handed it out. \u201cTake these and disappear forever. If anything happens and you get caught. You and I have never met. Do you understand?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYes,Luna. We have never met\u201d one the rogue repeated. \u201cNot once. Not ever\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cGood.\u201d I smirked. \u201cNow, disappear and don\u2019t come back\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The rogues vanished into the darkness.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I stood there a moment longer, my fingers brushing the silver pendant on my neck.\u00a0<\/p>\n
It was the one Draven had given me the night I swore loyalty to him.\u00a0<\/p>\n
It was perfect. Too perfect. Just like me\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cGuess who won in the end, Kaia,\u201d I smirked. \u201cYou\u2019re the ghost now,not me\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
now, not me,\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Then I turned back toward the packhouse,pulling my veil over my head to hide my face.\u00a0<\/p>\n
When I returned to my quarters, Seraphine was waiting in my room.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Seraphine officially works for me now. Occasionally, she helps out at the pack infirmary.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But,she\u2019s exclusively working for me alone. So,she\u2019s always with me.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou shouldn\u2019t rush meeting them again,\u201d Seraphine murmured, not looking up. \u201cIf Alpha Draven finds out\u2014\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I laughed softly, gloatingly.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cDraven won\u2019t find out. He\u2019s too busy convincing himself he\u2019s the savior of this pack\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I walked to stand in front of the mirror.\u00a0<\/p>\n
18:24 Tue, Jan 20\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 26\u00a0<\/p>\n
Resting a hand on my flat belly. Protectively and possessively.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cAll he dreams of these days is his heir,\u201d I say.\u201dAnd that\u2019s exactly what I\u2019ll let him have\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Seraphine\u2019s eyes flickered. \u201cAren\u2019t you worried the high chief will revolt against you?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I\u00a0<\/p>\n
spoon around to face her.\u00a0<\/p>\n
64\u00a0<\/p>\n
E55 vouchers\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cRelax,\u201d I say. \u201cBy the time anyone makes a move, I\u2019ll be untouchable. The Luna who gave the Alpha an heir- The same one who United the Pack after that \u2018poor traitor\u2019s\u2019 death\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I smiled at Seraphine.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Cocky. Gloating. \u201cYou helped me make sure of that, remember? One little testimony,and the council bent over like whores\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Seraphine exhaled shakily. \u201cYou\u2019re playing a dangerous game, Luna Liora\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Luna Liora. Exactly.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I\u2019m the Luna now and it feels so pleasant to my ears.\u00a0<\/p>\n
My smile didn\u2019t shake.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cNo, dear Seraphine. I\u2019m not playing a dangerous game, I\u2019m changing the rules\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cAlright,\u201d Seraphine grabbed a water glass.\u201dTake your medicine,Luna.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I took the medicine and gulped it down.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I say. \u201cSeraphine, your rewards will come bigger than you expect. Get some rest too\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI trust you,Luna. Thank you for looking after me\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
With that, Seraphine stepped out.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I look back in the mirror.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cOh my dear Alpha,\u201d I whispered. Resting a hand over my stomach. \u201cYou have no idea what I have prepared for us. You,me and our pack\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I promise, a life long treat. You won\u2019t regret it.\u00a0<\/p>\n
18:24 Tue, Jan 20\u00a0<\/p>\n
Cedella is a passionate storyteller known for her bold romantic and spicy novels that keep readers hooked from the very first chapter. With a flair for crafting emotionally intense plots and unforgettable characters, she blends love, desire, and drama into every story she writes. Cedella\u2019s storytelling style is immersive and addictive\u2014perfect for fans of heated romances and heart-pounding twists.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
Shadows Follow Lonely Minds \u2014 Christopher Harris 26 Chapter 26\u00a0 Chapter 26\u00a0 \u2013Draven\u2013\u00a0 Silvermoon Pack\u00a0 I sat in my Alpha\u2019s […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[80],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-27271","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-the-nightshade-heir-novel"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27271","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=27271"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27271\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=27271"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=27271"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=27271"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}