OV: The W

small, satisfying tremor that did little to quell the tempest in my chest. Anger, hot and acrid, mixed with a chilling cocktail of nerves and a persistent, unwelcome prickle of

It was a scene of deceptive tranquility, a stark contrast to the churning maelstrom of my thoughts. And there she sat, my mother, Queen Victoria, perched regally on the edge of her plush armchair, a crysta

t there, pacing my room, practically clawing at my own skin with anxiety, reliving every agonizing second of today's debacle. An

itics for decades, a master manipulator who understood the art of patience and the precise timing of cruelty. "Calm yourself, my beautiful, intelligent daughter," she purred, her voice like silk, smooth and soothing, yet und

olf. You made sure I was there, parading Parker in front of her, making her catch him cheating. It was supposed to be the ultimate humiliation, the final crushing blow that would make it impossible for her wolf to surface. And then Father-Alpha

voice a low, resonant hum. "And that, my dear Kelly, is precisely why we are winning. The wolf within her is not merely weakened; it is fragile, teetering on the precipice of non-existence. Every fresh wound, every public

ction. It had been glorious, terrifying, and almost perfect. "If it weren't for Alpha Lucien," I muttered, the name a bitter taste on my tongue, "our entire strategy would have culmin

ways had a peculiar, irritatingly sentimental soft spot for your half-sister. A blind devotion to a ghost from his past. He is the rogue element, the spanner in the works. But do not

ly loyal to Mira's mother's memory. Defying him openly would be akin to declaring war. "What's our next move then?" I asked, my voice barely a whisper, the weight of our dark ambition

ted, her voice dropping to a low, conspiratorial whisper. "The juice was merely the initial phase. A weakening agent. Now, we proceed to the psychological offensive. We will ensure that Mira remains isolated, a pariah within the p

sidious nature of it, filled me with a twisted sense of pride. "And Parker?" I mused, a smirk touching my l

A malleable instrument in our grand design. Use him well, exploit his weaknesses, but never, ever mistake him for anything more than a means to an end. Do

wled in mute protest at the cruelty of our machinations. But I ruthlessly suppressed it, burying the unwelcome emotion deep beneath layers of ambitio

her confidence. "What if Lucien's intervention is more profound than

er pill. "He is indeed a formidable opponent. Too noble, too loyal to an inconvenient past. We must observe him with utmost vigilance. If he becomes an i

ll the Alpha. What if he ever discovers the true depth of our involvement?

o know. Power, my darling, is a delicate dance of secrets and sacrifices. We have choreographed our moves with meticulous precision. For n

neuver for the Alpha's throne; it was a ruthless, primal war for dominance, for survival, for identity itself. And in this war, any shred of humanity or compassion was a weakness to be exploited.

member, Kelly, the pack is like any other pack of wolves-fiercely loyal to the strongest, but savagely quick to turn on t

ached for the cold brass handle, my mother's voice, a final, chilling pronouncement, stopped me. "Watch y

it was laced with a new kind of dread. A fleeting movement caught my eye. Something white. I glanced down. A folded piece of parchm

I unfolded the stark, unadorned paper. The words, scrawled in an unfami

deeper than your poisoned schemes. The moon's ancient power will not be den

my shaking hand. I looked back at my mother's closed door, a sudden, cold

s war was f

e powerful, and dangerously knowledgea