Chapter 27\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u2013Kiara\u2013\u00a0<\/p>\n
I\u2019ve changed dresses three times.\u00a0<\/p>\n
64\u00a0<\/p>\n
55 vouchers\u00a0<\/p>\n
The first was too formal, the second too revealing. The third\u2026 the third was too bright. Or so I told myself.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I stand in front of the mirror, trying on the outfit. Smoothing it over repeatedly.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Until I realized I wasn\u2019t really fixing anything.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Just nervous.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I looked at myself in the mirror \u2013 calm on the outside, chaos stumbling inside.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The Moon Goddess must\u2019ve been laughing somewhere.\u00a0<\/p>\n
A rogue. A traitor. About to stand beside an Alpha again.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Today is my Alpha Acceptance ceremony and I can\u2019t help feeling nervous.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I had decided to join Alpha Theo\u2019s pack.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Miracles like these doesn\u2019t come by easily.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I should be glad, someone is willing to take in an exiled Luna of another pack.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Not everyone is generously willing to take in outcasts.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Especially ex-Lunas,who were deemed traitors.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He\u2019s risking everything for me.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Everything.\u00a0<\/p>\n
A soft knock came.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cCome in,\u201d I said, trying to sound like I wasn\u2019t suffocating.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Maliya slipped in, her curls bouncing, arms full of folded clothes.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Smiling, she approached me.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She looks like a sunshine trapped in a maid\u2019s uniform. Always too cheerful for someone surrounded by people with egos larger than the pack itself.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cStill not ready?\u201d she teased. \u201cThe whole pack\u2019s practically holding their breath out there.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI just need a minute.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
18:24 Tue, Jan 20\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 27\u00a0<\/p>\n
:\u00a0<\/p>\n
She set the clothes aside and gave me a long, knowing look.\u00a0<\/p>\n
B\u00a0<\/p>\n
64\u00a0<\/p>\n
55 vouchers\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019ve been saying that for an hour, Kaia\u201d she looked at me. \u201cDo you need my help with anything?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I sighed, crossing my arms. \u201cIt\u2019s not every day someone swears loyalty to a man who could probably snap their neck in one hand.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
She grinned. \u201cOh please. He looks at you like you\u2019re the moon itself. Half the pack already thinks you bewitched him.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
That pulled a reluctant smile from me. \u201cDid they also say what happens if the witch gets it wrong?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThen the Alpha banishes her, and the Beta leads her out of the pack\u201d Maliya winked. \u201cYou\u2019ll be fine, Kaia. You\u2019re different. We all knows it. Alpha Theo doesn\u2019t play about you\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Different.\u00a0<\/p>\n
That word used to hurt. Tonight, it almost felt like armor.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I exhaled slowly. \u201cMaliya\u2026 do you think this is right? That I\u2019m doing the right thing?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Her teasing softened immediately. \u201cYou mean accepting him as your Alpha?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I nodded, my voice low. \u201cHe\u2019s been kind. Fair. But I keep wondering if I\u2019m\u2026 if I\u2019m using him to get what I want. To run away from something that already broke me.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Maliya tilted her head, stepping closer. \u201cYou\u2019re not using anyone, Kaia. You\u2019re surviving. And maybe just maybe you\u2019re finally choosing someone who deserves your loyalty.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I let out a humorless laugh. \u201cYou say that like loyalty ever protected me.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s not loyalty that failed you,\u201d she said quietly. \u201cIt\u2019s the people who didn\u2019t deserve it.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
That silenced me.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Maliya smiled again, gentler this time. \u201cYou\u2019ve carried too much blame. Tonight isn\u2019t about what you lost,it\u2019s about what you can still claim.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I nodded.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She has a point.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Maybe, this is my chance to get my life together again.\u00a0<\/p>\n
When Maliya left, I sat on the edge of the bed, staring at the flickering light spilling from the chandelier.\u00a0<\/p>\n
If this bond was real\u2026 if accepting him as my Alpha meant more than formality, could it quench the ache that had lived inside me since Silvermoon?\u00a0<\/p>\n
I pressed a hand to my chest, where my wolf used to sleep \u2013 dormant, silent,\u00a0<\/p>\n
18:24 Tue, Jan 20\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 27\u00a0<\/p>\n
:\u00a0<\/p>\n
Just once, I wanted to feel her again.\u00a0<\/p>\n
A low chime rang from the courtyard.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Time.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I stood up slowly, clutching my long white dress.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I don\u2019t know why I chose white but it feels so right.\u00a0<\/p>\n
:\u00a0<\/p>\n
My legs runs into each other as I walked out of the room.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Thundering.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I could heart my heart pounding in my chest.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI hope the goddess is watching. Maybe this time,you won\u2019t abandon me like you did before\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Moon Garden\u00a0<\/p>\n
.(64)\u00a0<\/p>\n
55 vouchers\u00a0<\/p>\n
I walked into the Moon garden, a ceremonial place where the pack gathers for important activities.\u00a0<\/p>\n
And my Alpha Acceptance is one those activities.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The pack stands in a wide circle, with Theo waiting in the centre.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The moon is full, spilling out.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I walked into the centre, standing in front of Theo.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I stood before Theo, my pulse steady but my breathing shaking with nervousness.\u00a0<\/p>\n
It feels as if I\u2019m drowning under the watchful eyes of a lot of the pack members.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Who came to bear witness tonight.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Theo\u2019s voice was low but steady.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cKaia of no pack, do you swear your loyalty to me, Alpha of Shadowclaw,and to this pack -To protect, serve and to fight as one?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Theo reached for my hand. His grip was warm, grounding. \u201cKaia. Do you accept me as your Alpha. To stand with my pack, as one of us?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
My throat tightened. I should\u2019ve been stronger than this, but I couldn\u2019t stop myself from shaking\u00a0<\/p>\n
I lifted my chin, meeting his gaze.\u00a0<\/p>\n
His eyes glowed faintly gold. Not dominance, not demand, but something deeper.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI swear it,\u201d I said softly. \u201cTo you,and to Shadowclaw Pack\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
18:24 Tue, Jan 20\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 27\u00a0<\/p>\n
0:\u00a0<\/p>\n
The moment the words left my lips, something inside me stirred.\u00a0<\/p>\n
A rush, a heartbeat that wasn\u2019t just mine. A howl deep within.\u00a0<\/p>\n
My knees almost buckled. My breath caught.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Feels as if the world tilted. Causing me to spin.\u00a0<\/p>\n
For the first time in years, I felt it.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I felt a wild awaking, something attracting it\u2019s way to the surface.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Wild. Animalistic. Powerful.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cTheo,\u201d I whispered, gripping his arm.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I feel my face slipping away,my eyes blurring.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Theo hold me tight, his hand steadied her, eyes wide. \u201cKaia? What\u2019s wrong\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Then it happened.\u00a0<\/p>\n
For the first time in years, I felt her.\u00a0<\/p>\n
My wolf.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She purred like something long caged, stretching against the walls of my chest.\u00a0<\/p>\n
A single word echoed through my head, ragged and beautiful:\u00a0<\/p>\n
Finally.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I gasped, and the Elders stepped back, murmuring.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Theo\u2019s hand tightened on mine, alarmed. \u201cKaia? Should I call a doctor?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI-\u201d I swallowed hard, eyes wide. \u201cI felt her.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
He looked at me awed, disbelieving. \u201cYour wolf?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
And then\u2026\u00a0<\/p>\n
A slow clap echoed from the edge of the circle.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Every head turned.\u00a0<\/p>\n
They turned to the direction of the clap to see the intruder.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Theo went still beside me.\u00a0<\/p>\n
64\u00a0<\/p>\n
EX 55 vouchers\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cTheo,\u201d she purred, her smile practiced and fake. \u201cAren\u2019t you going to introduce me to your new\u2026 pack\u00a0<\/p>\n
18:24 Tue, Jan 20\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 27\u00a0<\/p>\n
member?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
:\u00a0<\/p>\n
The entire courtyard fell silent.\u00a0<\/p>\n
A\u00a0<\/p>\n
64\u00a0<\/p>\n
55 vouchers\u00a0<\/p>\n
I blinked, caught off guard by her boldnessand the way Theo\u2019s jaw clenched, muscles pulling like he was barely holding back his anger.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He moved before I could speak, striding toward her. \u201cYou shouldn\u2019t be here.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy not?\u201d she asked innocently, tilting her head. \u201cDon\u2019t you think it\u2019s rude to ignore an old friend?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cLeave.\u201d His voice dropped, Alpha-deep, dark with warning.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The woman laughed, brushing invisible dust from her sleeve. \u201cStill the same temper. Tell me, Theo does she know what\u00a0<\/p>\n
you did?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Something in his face flickered. Pain? Rage? Both.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I didn\u2019t understand what was happening. I couldn\u2019t tell who the woman was and why she was here but she seemed close to Theo.\u00a0<\/p>\n
And now, she interrupted the ceremony.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Theo grabbed her wrist, dragging her away from the crowd.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The whispers followed them, the pack members mourning among themselves.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I stood there, frozen, heart still pounding with the echo of my wolf\u2019s awakening.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Zane approached quietly. \u201cAre you okay?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I nodded or tried to.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYeah,\u201d I whispered, eyes still on the door where Theo had vanished.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But I wasn\u2019t okay.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Because for the first time since I came here, the thought crept in like frost:\u00a0<\/p>\n
Maybe, I really don\u2019t know Theo at all.\u00a0<\/p>\n
And maybe,I wasn\u2019t the only one with a ghost.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Turns out Theo has his own buried too.\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 27 Chapter 27\u00a0 \u2013Kiara\u2013\u00a0 I\u2019ve changed dresses three times.\u00a0 64\u00a0 55 vouchers\u00a0 The […]<\/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-27272","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\/27272","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=27272"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27272\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=27272"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=27272"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=27272"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}