The Cursed Alpha's Fifth Luna

Nina’s hands froze on the envelope, her heart picking up speed.

The healer...

She was part of them.

Does this mean...

Her eyes lifted as she met her reflection in the mirror, pale and unfamiliar in the dim light.

They had infiltrated the entire pack house...

Nina stumbled backward, her breath coming out ragged.

Emory, now the healer.

They were everywhere.

A cold shiver raced down her spine.

Her eyes darted around the room as though someone was watching her. Her gaze dropped to the envelope still clutched in her hand.

Then another thought crept into her mind.

Slowly.

Quietly.

What if...

What if this wasn’t a coincidence?

Her fingers tightened around the envelope, crumpling the edge.

What if her coming to the pack’s house was not a coincidence?

How else would they have infiltrated everywhere, even to the Matriarch’s trusted healer?

A bead of sweat dropped down her face.

No...

That couldn’t be right.

Could it?

Her mind desperately searched for another explanation, but none came.

Nina swallowed hard, her throat dry and tight.

Her eyes dropped to the envelope. Whatever it was, she needed to find out.

She broke the strange seal on the envelope and pulled it open, her fingers trembling slightly.

In three days, at the setting of the sun, come to the black oak tree by the garden of lilies.

Someone will be there to take you.

Nina’s eyes hovered over the text, rereading it as though the words might change.

A black oak tree...

She’d never seen a black tree.

But more importantly, how was she going to leave the pack’s house without anyone finding out?

...

Rodrigo stood in the middle of the training grounds, his hands clasped behind his back, his expression carved from stone.

Rows of lycans stood at attention before him, their backs straight, their expressions rigid. Not a single one dared to make a sound.

The morning air was still, yet an oppressive tension hung over the grounds like a storm waiting to break.

Rodrigo walked slowly along the line, his boots crushing the gravel beneath them. His sharp gaze swept across every face before he came to a stop.

"Who let the Luna drink last night." he demanded, his voice low and cutting.

The question alone sent a chill through the training grounds.

The lycans exchanged fleeting glances, but no one spoke.

Utter silence filled the grounds. Each of them looked as though they were moments away from being skinned alive.

And perhaps they were.

"The Luna asked to drink, Alpha. We could not refuse her command, Alpha," one of them stammered, his eyes fixed to the ground.

The air stiffened as Rodrigo glanced at him, his jaw ticking.

"Without my permission, you had drinks with the Luna?" his voice lowered into a dangerous growl, the lycan who had just spoken turned visibly pale.

"If anything like yesterday happens again, none of you will live to regret it. Understood?"

"Yes Alpha!" they chorused, the words sharp with obedience.

Rodrigo’s eyes moved over them one by one before settling on Caleb, who stood near the back of the formation.

"Caleb."

"Yes, Alpha," Caleb answered, stepping forward immediately, his shoulders squared.

"Drill every last one of them until sunset." Rodrigo’s voice hardened.

"No breaks. No food. Anyone who collapses starts over when they wake up."

A few of the lycans instinctively stiffened.

Others lowered their eyes.

No one dared protest.

"Yes, Alpha," Caleb said grimly.

Rodrigo clenched his jaw and his eyes searched the crowd again for his Beta.

"Seven?" he called out, his tone clipped.

Seven stepped out of the formation behind the rest. His face looked solemn, his eyes not meeting Rodrigo’s gaze. Now Rodrigo thought about it, it was strange he had stood behind.

Rodrigo frowned as he studied him for a second, and then he turned around, "Come with me,"

"Yes, Alpha," Seven murmured, following behind him.

"Speak," Rodrigo ordered the moment he pushed the doors to his private study and walked inside. ’’You seem to have a lot on your mind.’’

Seven stepped in quietly after him.

Without another word, Rodrigo crossed the room to the floor-to-ceiling window and pulled the curtains apart.

Outside, the sky had turned a dull shade of silver. Thick clouds stretched endlessly across the horizon, hanging so low they seemed ready to swallow the mountaintops. The air carried that familiar stillness that always came just before the first snow — a quiet so complete it felt as though the world itself was holding its breath.

Winter was here.

Rodrigo stood there for a moment before turning around.

Seven was still standing by the door, hesitant, his hands loosely clasped in front of him.

One brow lifted. "What are you doing over there?" Rodrigo asked,

Seven blinked before quickly closing the door behind him. He walked toward the desk, stopping a few feet away.

Rodrigo took his seat, leaning back in the chair as he studied his Beta, his gaze searching and unhurried.

"You’ve been worried about something." His voice was calm. "What is it?"

Silence settled between them.

Then Seven let out a quiet chuckle, low and humorless.

"It’s strange seeing you notice."

A faint smile tugged at the corner of his lips. "I didn’t think you paid attention."

Rodrigo’s brows twitched.

"You’ve been my Beta since I was nine." His gaze remained fixed on Seven, unwavering.

"How would I not notice when something changes in your mood?" He paused before adding, "What exactly do you take me for, Seven?"

The smile on Seven’s face faded.

He cleared his throat, rubbing the bridge of his nose as his eyes drifted away from Rodrigo, suddenly unable to hold his stare.

"Fair point," Seven admitted with a quiet sigh.

He lifted his eyes to Rodrigo.

"The informant I sent to investigate the Luna returned this morning."

Rodrigo went still, all the muscles in his arm locking at once. His fingers dug into the armrests of his chair as his gaze locked onto Seven.

Silence stretched between them, taut and unbearable.

Finally, he spoke. "Good or bad?" he asked quietly, his voice low.

Seven held his Alpha’s gaze for a long moment, his expression grim, then he shook his head.

"Bad."

Rodrigo slowly closed his eyes.

A slow breath filled his lungs before he released it through his nose.

He had known this moment would come.

He simply hadn’t expected it to arrive so soon.

For an instant, Seven had wondered if he should keep the news to himself.

Perhaps ignorance would buy the Alpha a little more peace.

But...

How long could he hide it from him? And if he found out later, it would be worse.

Rodrigo’s eyes opened again, settling on his Beta.

"What did you find?" he asked, his voice steady despite the dread beneath it.

Seven was silent for a heartbeat before answering.

"The Luna’s mother was a servant in the Storm household, who her father had relations with." He paused. "She died giving birth to the Luna."

Rodrigo listened without interrupting, his face unreadable.

"Her mother wasn’t originally from the Vermont Pack." Seven’s voice grew quieter. "She came from Hades."

A crease formed between Rodrigo’s brows.

"Hades?" he repeated, his tone sharp with disbelief.

Seven nodded.

"But that’s not all." His expression darkened. "The woman..." He hesitated only briefly.

"...was a witch."