Jonas POV
As soon as Asher said those words to me, I clenched my hands into fists, feeling a surge of anger and resentment toward him. How could he treat me like this, like a mere servant and not his own flesh and blood? He knew how much I despised humans and their very miserable existence.
He was aware of all these facts and more, yet he insisted on sending me there. I was always certain of his disdain for me. The only reason he has tolerated me until now is our shared bloodline.
Despite the depth of Asher’s hatred for me, my dislikes for him matches it, if not surpasses it. Asher, under the illusion that his position as Alpha—bestowed upon him by our father—makes him superior to everyone else, remains oblivious to my plans.Plans that involve his downfall mirror the fate of his mate, Kiara. He doesn’t know that I was waiting for the right moment to strike, to claim what was rightfully mine.
He is also unaware that I have already set the wheels of destiny in motion and that it’s only a matter of time before my dream becomes a reality.
I bowed my head respectfully, concealing my true emotions. “As you wish, Asher. I will follow your command,” I said, feigning obedience.I watched him nod curtly, then turn and leave the room. I stepped into the shower to wash away the scent of my omegas. Despite being lower in rank within the pack, they possessed the skills to please all my sexual needs, which was more than satisfactory for me.
After washing off, I dried my hair before putting on my official regalia: a black robe with a wolf crested in red. After that, I walked out the door, heading outside to meet the rest.As I walked through the corridors of our home and towards the stables, I heard a familiar female voice behind me.
“Hey, handsome. Where are you off to so early?” It was Scarlet, the red-haired vixen, and Asher’s occasional whore. A sly smile played on her lips, and a twinkle danced in her eye.I felt a pang of jealousy knowing she had spent the night with Asher, not because I had feelings for her but because it seemed Asher could have anyone he wanted, while I was left settling for less.
I turned to face her, giving her a cold look. "What are you doing here, Scarlet? Shouldn’t you be in Asher’s bed, warming it for him? Like always?" I asked sarcastically.She blushed, a deep red that matched her hair. "Oh, you know me. I like to get up early and explore. Besides, Asher had to attend to some urgent matters. He’s a busy man, you know. He has a lot of responsibilities as the pack’s Alpha."
I snorted, a surge of contempt washing over me. "Yeah, right. He’s so swamped that he can’t even manage his responsibilities. Can you believe he’s sending me to the human village? He claims it’s important, but I suspect he’s just trying to humiliate me and push me aside, as always."She looked surprised, then curious. "Really? Why would he do that? What’s so important about the human village anyway?"
I shrugged, pretending not to care. “I don’t know, and it doesn’t matter to me. He’s the Alpha; he makes the rules. I’m just his loyal brother. I follow his orders. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to go. I need to gather my men and get ready for the journey.” I turned away from her, leaving her behind. I made my way to the stables, where my guards were waiting for me. I met up with my men, a group of loyal and fierce warriors, who greeted me with respect and admiration. “Sir, we’re ready to go,” one of them said, saluting me.“Good,” I responded, nodding. “Let’s go, then. We have a long way to go and a short time to get there.” I then mounted my horse, a black stallion with a white star on its forehead, and signaled for them to follow me.
As the sun began to rise on the horizon, I felt a surge of anticipation, tinged with a hint of dread. We rode out of the gates, setting our course for the human village.The sooner we embarked on this journey, the sooner it would reach its conclusion. The sooner I could execute my plans, the less certain I was about what awaited me in the human village. However, I was certain that this was the first step towards my ultimate goal: eliminating Asher and assuming the role of the Alpha, a position I believe I deserve.
As we rode, the cool morning air brushed against my face, carrying with it the scent of the human village. My mind raced with thoughts of what lay ahead. The human village, a place I rarely visited and filled with beings I greatly despised, held significance today beyond my usual distaste. I glanced back at my escort, their faces etched with determination in the dim light. They trusted me to lead them through the perilous journey ahead, just as Asher had. But did I harbor any affection for them? No. Their presence was nothing more than a distraction. I don’t take orders from anyone, not even Asher. Coming here was merely my way of exercising caution. Over the years, I have learned not to openly defy him. Pretending to be scared of him and doing all his bidding came with many advantages. He won’t know what hits him until it does.As we approached the outskirts of the human village, I urged my horse forward, leading the way. The streets were still quiet, with the inhabitants likely still asleep in their homes or just hiding out of fear. But soon enough, they would awaken to my presence in their midst.
I dismounted in front of the village square, my men following suit. We stood in silence for a moment, taking in our surroundings. Then, with a nod from me, we began our task. We moved through the village with purpose, seeking out the one who called himself their leader.The humans we encountered along the way watched us warily, their fear palpable in the air. However, we paid them no mind and focused solely on our mission.
Finally, we found our target—a human with a connection to our pack, someone whom Asher deemed important enough to warrant our attention. I approached him, my expression neutral, as I came to a stop before him.He dropped to his knees, his face lowering to the floor. “Welcome, Your Majesty.”
I dismissed his greeting, forcing him back to his knees. “Gather the people. Make them come forth as quickly as possible. Death penalty for anyone who defies me or tries to do otherwise,” I roared.I watched his face turn completely pale before he nodded and scrambled off. But not before he showed us to a large hall where the taxation was about to take place.
LISA’S POV“Alpha Asher is a monster,” Caleb said, his voice low and filled with fear. “He doesn’t care about us humans. His only concern is his pack and the power he wields over others. He demands payment from us every month for his so-called protection. But what happens if we can’t afford it? What if we run out of money or resources? What then?”I felt a cold shiver run down my spine as I listened to my brothers, Jax and Max, along with their friend Caleb, discuss Alpha Asher. He was the formidable leader of the Red Moon pack, a werewolf of such ruthlessness that it was almost beyond comprehension.Yet, it was this very individual upon whom we, as mere humans, relied for protection against the night crawlers—creatures of the night with a gruesome appetite for blood and human flesh. The stark absurdity of our predicament did not escape me."He's not the only monster," Jax said, his voice bitter and angry. "The night crawlers are just as bad, if not worse. They're the reason why we ne
LISA POV“Move it, you filthy rat!” The guard shoved me forward, his boot kicking the heel of my shoe roughly from behind. This caused me to stumble a few feet, and I barely caught myself before I fell. My knee scraped against the gravel, its sharpness cutting my flesh open.I whimpered in pain as I struggled back on my feet, the gravel continued to crunch under my feet, the sound mocking me with each step I took.I couldn’t stop to soothe my injured knee, even if I wanted to. The pain was insignificant compared to the fate that awaited me. I knew my destination, but I harbored no regrets about taking my brother’s place. The Night Crawlers’ gladiatorial pit, a place where they cast their captives to face a cruel fate, was where I was headed. It was the place where I would meet my end tonight.As we approached the pit, I noticed something peculiar. The guard escorting me turned left, away from the entrance. He led me in a different direction, towards a cluster of tents situated just ou
JONAS POVI felt a strange tingling in my spine as I walked into my tent. It was like a swarm of needles pricking my skin, warning me of the impending storm. I had prepared myself for a clash, a fierce struggle, but what I saw was something I did not expect.She kneeled on the cold stone floor, her hands clasped in prayer. Her body was hunched over, her shoulders shaking slightly as she whispered pleas into the silence. It was a scene I had not seen in ages, and it awakened a long-buried emotion in the depths of my soul. A touch of nostalgia, as I heard her whisper a prayer. A prayer to the God who had forsaken us, the God who permitted our kind to be hunted and slaughtered. It was a prayer that stirred a long-forgotten emotion within me: pity.“How utterly unbelievable,” I muttered.I watched her rise, her movements as frantic as a frightened fawn. Her eyes, wide with fear, scanned the room. Yet, there was a spark—a glint of something indefinable—that piqued my interest. It wasn’t
Lisa povWith a sense of impending dread settling over me like a heavy cloak, I watched as Jonas paced back and forth in front of me. His every step seemed to echo in the silence of the tent, each one bringing him closer to revealing his true intentions.I wanted to run to escape this nightmare, but I knew there was no way out. Whatever fate awaited me, I would have to face it head-on.Finally, Jonas stopped his pacing and turned to face me once more, his expression unreadable. “you have been chosen, Lisa Bonnet,” he said, his voice low and menacing.“Chosen for what?” I asked, my voice barely rising above a whisper. Despite my fear of the answer, I was still compelled to know my fate.Jonas smirked, a cruel glint in his eyes as he flexed his shoulders. "Chosen to be my mate, of course. You will become one of us."My heart sank upon hearing his words. I had been privileged to tales of werewolves who mated exclusively with their kind. The thought of a human being forced into such a uni
ASHER’S POVI had thought it was a brilliant idea to send Jonas, my brother, to the human village for the annual collection. I hoped that by exposing him to their culture and their kindness, he would learn to respect them as equals, not as enemies.Jonas had always harbored a deep hatred for humans, viewing them as weak, worthless, and undeserving of sharing our world. He frequently expressed his desire to eradicate them and to claim their lands and resources for our kind. He failed to understand that we needed them as much as they relied on us for protection.As the Alpha of our pack, I bore the responsibility of maintaining peace and balance among our races, a task that Jonas complicated with his reckless actions and words. However, as hours passed since Jonas’s departure, I began to question my decision. What if he stirred up trouble in the village? What if he harmed or even killed any humans?I tried to push these thoughts away, trusting that Jonas would behave himself and heed my
ASHERS POVI stood rooted to the spot, my feet as heavy as lead and my heart pounding like a drum in my chest. The air was thick with tension, and the silence in the room was almost deafening.Before me stood Kiara, my mate, her presence as startling as a bolt of lightning in a clear sky. I had thought her lost, swallowed by the cruel hands of fate, yet here she was, as alive and vibrant as the day we first met.Her eyes, wide and filled with surprise, were a mirror of my shock. We stood there, locked in a silent standoff, the air between us charged with a thousand unspoken words. My heart continued to hammer against my ribcage, a wild rhythm that echoed the chaos of my thoughts."Kiara," I managed to choke out, my voice barely more than a whisper in the heavy silence. "How are you here? How did you survive?" I wanted to reach out to her, to touch her, to make sure she was real. But I was afraid—afraid that this might be a dream.The girl I had believed to be Kiara merely shook her he
JONAS POVI watched Asher's face as he saw Lisa for the first time. His eyes widened, his mouth dropped slightly, and his breath caught in his throat. He looked like he had seen a ghost. And in a way, he had. Lisa was the ghost of Kiara, the woman he loved—the woman who had chosen him over me. The woman who had broken my heart without a second thought.I reveled in the sweet taste of revenge, a surge of power pulsating through my veins. The sight of Lisa, Kiara’s doppelgänger, was a torment to Asher, a deliciously cruel thorn in his side that would pierce his heart more deeply than any blade. No joy could compare to the satisfaction seeping through me. I was awash with a rush of power and pleasure, relishing in the knowledge that I was causing him pain and that I was the architect of his suffering.I had been plotting this for what felt like an eternity, ever since the day I stumbled upon Lisa amid the bustling human village. She was the ideal instrument for my vengeance, the flawles
JONAS POV“Lisa, are you listening?” I asked, my voice icy and authoritative. “These are the rules you must adhere to if you wish to survive. Acknowledge with a nod if you understand.”Lisa nodded, her eyes brimming with tears. “Yes, I understand,” she murmured, her voice barely above a whisper. She understood and accepted her fate as my mate. She accepted that she was Kiara, and above all, she accepted her insignificance.I felt a surge of triumph surge through me as I watched Lisa nod her head obediently to my rules. It was akin to a hot wave of adrenaline coursing through my veins, a victorious roar echoing in the depths of my chest.Finally, I had something in my grasp—a weapon, a tool, not of steel or stone but of raw, unadulterated truth—that could truly torment Asher. A weapon that could sear him with the same burning pain that had been gnawing at my soul, my constant, relentless companion all this time.All my life, our father, Alpha King Regan, has consistently favored Asher