reston’s Perspective
“Stay away from me!”
From my perch atop the surveillance tower at the Pack House, I gazed out over the shadowed borders of the Dark Spike Pack. The Silent Forest sprawled beneath me like a waiting trap.
Time slipped away, lost in the distance as I watched her—the woman fighting for her life—strike back at the Rogues closing in around her.
Despite her small frame, she battled like a cornered tigress, every move sharp and fierce.
No Rogue breached her defenses.
She was the Alpha’s daughter. She fought for her honor with every breath.
One by one, the Rogues fell, knocked out by her desperate claws and teeth.
“Alpha Preston, as you ordered, I brought Georgia to the Silent Forest,” Beta Derek said quietly, stepping beside me.
He and I watched the grim tableau unfolding in the distance.
“The Alpha of the Silver Stream Pack wishes to speak with you.”
I lifted my glass, swirling the amber liquid inside, eyes drifting away from Georgia for a moment.
“Tell the Alpha of the Silver Stream Pack this—he must decide. Georgia or his pack. If he wants his pack whole, Georgia leaves.”
“Yes, Alpha.”
“Cancel her degree at the werewolf university,” I added, voice cold. “She won’t get a decent job in human society. She’ll have only a high school diploma.”
“Yes, Alpha.”
“And,” I lowered my gaze to the glass in my hand, “send her to werewolf prison.”
Derek blinked, stunned. “Alpha Preston?”
“She killed our girl. She deserves three years behind bars. Beta Derek, do you disagree?”
I was resolute. Georgia had no claim to be my Luna—not after what she’d done. Though the proof was slim, I believed she was Giselle’s murderer.
No matter how my wolf cried out to spare his mate, justice had to be served.
“No, Alpha Preston. You’re right. Thank you,” Derek said softly, tears welling in his red eyes. “Without you, Georgia wouldn’t be punished for what she did to Giselle. She belongs to another pack. There’s little I can do.”
My eyes returned to the window.
Georgia’s strength drained visibly; her body swayed as the Rogues closed in again.
One seized her hand. Another crept behind her.
A suffocating rage built inside me. My wolf howled in fury, desperate to claim control and protect her.
“Save her! She’s our mate!” The howl echoed in my mind, sharp and insistent.
But as her legs were pried apart by two Rogues, my expression darkened.
I drained the last of the liquor and turned to Derek.
“Beta Derek, this isn’t just about Giselle being your sister. It’s because Giselle was the woman I loved,” I said slowly, each word a weight.
When I arrived in the Silent Forest, Georgia lay naked on the ground—her skin broken, battered.
The bond pulsed violently inside me, threatening to shred the Rogues limb from limb.
Her vacant gaze drifted skyward until my presence caught her attention.
“Alpha Preston… please… listen…” she murmured, voice barely a whisper.
“What did you do to Giselle?” I demanded, voice low but sharp, eyes fixed on her blood-smeared face.
“I… didn’t kill her…” she whispered stubbornly, refusing to look away.
I grasped her chin roughly. After losing the woman I loved, I wanted to shatter the arrogance in her eyes.
“You didn’t kill her,” I spat bitterly. “But you lured her into the Silent Forest, handed her over to the Rogues. They took turns violating her, then strangled her. That’s what you did.”
She shook her head violently, blood and tears mixing down her face.
Some splattered onto my fingers.
I pulled back and wiped them clean with a handkerchief.
“I know you have feelings for me, Miss Cooper…” I said coldly.
“But I never imagined you’d love me enough to destroy Giselle.”
I paused, letting the words hang.
“You’re a manipulative piece of work. I shouldn’t have underestimated you.”
“No… it’s not like that…” she gasped, trying to scream but choking on her own blood.
I seized her shoulders, my fingers digging into flesh like iron clamps.
“You’re mine now,” I growled. “Tell me, Miss Cooper, what do you think I’ll do to you?”
The bond between us was a wildfire, uncontrollable, fierce—no one could sever the tie of mated werewolves.
She lifted her head, eyes wide with uncertainty.
I leaned in, my hand sliding down her body until I grasped her.
“You’re a slut, aren’t you?” I said harshly. “You like this, don’t you?”
“Please… don’t… don’t do this…” she whimpered, shame thick in her voice.
“Your body tells a different story,” I said coldly. “You want this so badly, you’d kill an innocent girl for it.”
I squeezed tighter. Her scream cut through the forest.
“You disgust me,” I whispered, locking eyes with her.
‘It should have been you.’
Her eyes widened in shock.
“You should be the one to die, Georgia Cooper.”
