Tanya’s POVI turn towards Lily, surprised by the chill in her tone. I’ve never seen her be openly hostile before, but when I look into her eyes, it’s not just anger that fills them; it’s fear. What could she possibly be afraid of? I can’t figure out what’s going through her mind, but I don’t get the chance to ask her. Ayana leaps at the opportunity to accuse me once again, yelling in my face. “So, she’s not a murderer, but she’s a thief!” she cries. Eric and Marco help Cathy to her feet as the princess slowly begins to recover. Still, Ayana is relentless in her efforts to make me seem like the villain. “That extraordinary perfume, you took it from Lily’s family! They recently showed Montenero’s custom perfume collection at the perfumery. Tanya must have stolen it from there.”“I would never do that,” I try to explain. “It’s true that I visited the perfume display, but I didn’t steal anything. I made this fragrant potion myself, recreating the formula from what I smelled in the spe

Tanya’s POVI wish I could spend forever like this dancing with Marco. But all too soon, the song ends, and the crowd turns to the ballroom’s main door as the Lycan King and Queen arrive. Everyone except for the royal family bows at their arrival. My gown swirls around me as I curtsy alongside the others, but I catch a glimpse of the Queen. She stands tall beside her dignified husband, but I’m surprised to see her eyes fixed on Marco. Her gaze is so filled with hatred and envy that it sends a chill down my spine as the King motions for everyone to rise. He stands at the edge of the balcony, officially welcoming his guest to the palace to celebrate the Autumn Equinox. Then, he gives a short but eloquent speech about the changing of the seasons throughout the kingdom and the fall harvest. Once the King is finished speaking, everyone disperses, and Marco is called by the Lycan King to have a talk. The ballroom feels far too large and crowded without Marco by my side, so I quietly slip

Tanya’s POVI stumble out of the palace and into the gardens, feeling tired and mildly nauseous. I make my way to the edge of a large pond, focusing on the sight of starlight glistening on the surface of the dark water. Someone approaches me, and I wince when I realize Ayana and Lily join by the pond, ruining any chance at peace and quiet. Not here. Not now. It’s been a long night, and I’m in no mood to be tormented further. The King’s voice still rings in my ears; the secret of Marco’s sitting heavy in my heart. Not to mention the crushing sorrow of everything I saw in Marco’s old room. The way Lily smiles at me so innocently makes my skin crawl. “My dear Tanya, is everything all right?” Lily asks. “You look like you’ve just seen a ghost.”I did, and she knows it. She’s the one who showed me the ghost of her past relationship with Marco. “I just needed a moment alone and some fresh air,” I say softly. I don’t have the energy for any more drama. I just want to hide from all of this

Marco’s POVLily’s screams ring in my ears, and she thrashes wildly in the pond, sending water in every direction. I race to her side, jumping in before Eric even reaches the edge of the pond. Lily wraps her arms around me with a gasp, her nails digging into my skin. I grimace as she splashes me, hauling her out of the water. “Lily, calm down. Stop it. I got you,” I growl at her, and she wiggles a bit less at my command. I carry her out, setting her down gently on the ground. Eric quickly joins us, his expression wrought with worry. “You shouldn’t have done that,” my brother says quietly to me. “I would have gone in to rescue her.”I know Lily is not mine to rescue. She’s with Eric now, and he’s the one that should be rushing to her aid. But I’m faster and stronger, and I would have done it for anyone. Even though Lily and I aren’t together anymore, I wasn’t going to stand by and watch as she drowned. “You’re welcome,” I growl at him sarcastically before nodding towards Lily. “Tak

Tanya’s POVI’m hot and cold all at once, the fever wracking through my body. The chill of the pond from that night seems to have seeped into my bones, making me shiver even a sweat clings to my skin. My hand rests on my stomach as guilt courses through me, stronger and sharper than any discomfort from the fever.If I were the only one sick, I wouldn’t mind. But at that moment, when I jumped in after the earrings, I forgot that I’m not just making choices for myself anymore. There’s a child growing in me that will suffer the consequences of my mistakes. I berate myself for not having thought of that when I recklessly threw myself into the water. If this baby suffers because I made myself ill, I’ll never forgive myself.What kind of mother will I be?Something shifts on the best beside me, and I wince at the stiffness in my joints. My eyelids are heavy with fatigue, and everything seems blurry and far away like I can’t tell whether I’m awake or dreaming.Suddenly someone’s lying beside

Tanya’s POVOnce I’m fully recovered, I visit Lady Vivian’s home in the palace every few days to learn her craft. The days I get to work as her apprentice quickly become the highlight of my week. Her wing of the palace is not as grand as the ballroom or the main hall, but I can tell from the moment I step through the doorway that Lady Vivian’s home is filled with love. She has a delicate woman’s touch and carries herself with admirable grace and dignity. She looks young for her age, but there are a few tiny wrinkles around her eyes when she smiles that make her look friendly and enchanting. “Careful when diluting the oils, dear,” she says, watching as I pour the contents of a dropper into a larger bottle. “Remember that the concentration of the extract will affect the intensity and duration of the fragrance.”I follow her advice, carefully mixing the solutions. There’s something incredibly soothing about being around Vivian, and I can’t help but feel the need to make her proud.“Wel

Tanya’s POV“I just don’t know what to do,” I mutter in defeat. “I don’t know how he would want to celebrate exactly, but I want to make it perfect for him.” There’s a hesitant silence on the other side of the sheer curtain, and I stare at my hands, fiddling anxiously with my wedding ring as I proceed. Perhaps I’ve missed something? “My husband… He’s very special, and everyone knows it. But I see more to him than high society and status. He’s the child of a surrogate, and his biological mother died when he was very young, just like me. My relationship with my stepmother was always strained, and my father never allowed me to celebrate my birthday.” My father resented that I was born on a blessed harvest moon but didn’t manifest a wolf, so he considered my birthday a waste. Unlike me, Marco is very strong and powerful. I don’t think the king hurt Marco like my father hurt me. But there are many to damage a child. “I believe my husband has a complicated relationship with his own step

Tanya’s POVHe’s here. Goddess saves me, Marco is here, and I don’t know what I’m going to do. There’s no way I have enough time to take down all the ribbons, balloons, and ornaments that I’ve used to decorate the interior of the townhouse. There’s no time. The best I can hope to do is hide the birthday cake, so I pick up the tray where I’d set the cake and gift down and whirl around to try and stash it away. But it’s too late.I turn around and freeze at the sight of Marco hovering in the doorway. He stands there staring at me, his face unreadable as his eyes scan the gathered crowd. Nobody dares cheer or yell ‘surprise!’ Everyone just stands there in deathly silence, and I wish I could disappear. I’m so ashamed I could crumple into the ground. Marco takes a step towards me. Then another. Each step echoes in the quiet hall and feels like a blow to my heart until he’s standing right in front of me. I stare at the floor, feeling like an utter fool. He doesn’t say anything for a while

Tanya’s POVAfter an early dinner, Marco invites me to go on a drive with him. He takes me out of the capital, driving for miles until we reach a glen on the outskirts of the kingdom. He tells me that we’re in the Blue Moon Pack.It’s impressive to see how expansive the Kingdom of Mador truly is, and I’m reminded of how much power his family holds to rule over all of this, even the territories inhabited by other packs.“I want to show you something.”Marco parks the car, and we walk for a short while, reaching a beautiful clearing in the glen. At the heart of the small valley is an enormous tree with hundreds of little beautiful flowers. I’d never seen it before, but I immediately recognize where we are. Even I’ve heard the wondrous stories of the Blue Moon Tree. Legend says the ancient tree was blessed by the Moon Goddess herself many centuries ago, and those beautiful flowers around the tree must be the Blue Moon Flowers.People are gathered in the open space, some walking around pe

Tanya’s POVI am walking back home with excitement clearly written all over my face. I have a bright smile on my face while I cling the application form closely to my heart.When I consider how my life has drastically changed, I am very surprised. My life has gotten much better, and I have a number of people to be grateful for. One of those people is Lady Viviane, Lily’s mother.We’ve only known each other for a couple of months, and it feels as though we’ve known each other since forever. She is slowly becoming the mother I never had.I finished early with Lady Viviane, and I want to enjoy an evening stroll before I reach home.My stroll takes me by the main gate of the palace. The main gate is truly a majestic work of art. It is adorned with gold and shines brightly under the evening sun. The gate was also peaceful. I expect to feel the same peace as I walk by but a loud noise startles me. I look towards the gate and am surprised to see the guards forcefully toss a man out of the pa