Chapter 3
The alphas didn’t hesitate. As soon as Alpha Ethan stepped out, they followed him.
Zayron was approaching. His arms were wrapped protectively around the she-wolf by his side. The Shadow Caster.
“That’s not his mate,” one of the alphas muttered.
“I saw his mate before we left the obsidian tower. She’s the leader of the Silver Mountain Pack in the Central Region. She’s not just any leader, she’s the future Regent Queen. The she-wolf whose coronation was postponed!”
Murmurs of agreement rippled through the group. Those who had met Zayron’s mate before nodded in support.
Samira scoffed. “The one you’re talking about isn’t even his true mate. She’s just his mistress,” she said, crossing her arms.
“I’m his fated mate! A mate that was given to him by the moon goddess, but he never even looked at me. And now, he’s chosen yet another one. Typical. This is who he is! Discarding she-wolves like worn-out thongs.”
Samira sighed heavily, shook her head dramatically before turning away from the group and walking back toward the pack house as though she was very sad to see Alpha Zayron with another she-wolf.
But deep down, Samira wasn’t sad. She was thrilled. Every plan she had made to win Zayron back had failed.
Alpha Zayron had refused her time and time again. Now, she had only one purpose left, to destroy him. It was obvious Zayron would rather die than be with her. Samira vowed to destroy him.
The thing that pained Samira the most was when Alpha Zayron chose to attend the Decennial meeting with Ana, an omega.
That was the moment Samira vowed to bring Alpha Zayron down and reduce him to nothing.
And with Zayron's mind shattered, lost to the Shadow Caster’s spell forever, Samira knew Zayron would never be the same again.
Zayron Roland, the feared and respected Alpha of that Azure Moon Pack, the powerful alpha in Romania, would never regain his true self. He would always dance to any music played by the Asian Shadow Caster.
A triumphant smirk curled at Samira’s lips as she disappeared into one of the pack houses.
Meanwhile, the remaining alphas stood frozen, watching Zayron as he walked towards them.
“We need to take the Shadow Caster away from him. We can't allow him to mate with her,” one of them muttered under his breath so Zayron wouldn't hear what he said.
“And how exactly do you propose we do that?” another alpha scoffed. “By signing our own death warrants?”
Silence followed. Everyone knew the truth. Trying to separate Zayron from the Shadow Caster he now saw as his mate was nothing short of a suicide mission.
The air was heavy with tension. The alphas stood in a tight circle, their gazes shifting between one another, searching for answers.
“What do we do now?” one of them finally asked.
Alpha Ethan exhaled sharply. “We need to reach out to his mate. She needs to know what’s happening. Who knows she might help.”
“No,” another alpha disagreed immediately.
“Telling his mate will only devastate the poor girl. She’s pregnant, remember?
What if she tries to come here in this condition?
Worse, what if she sees Zayron and he doesn’t even recognize her as his mate?
Do you know what that would do to her? That could hurt her so much and could even lead to a preterm birth. ”
A grim silence followed.
“So what’s the plan?” someone asked.
“Let’s send a message to the Great Southern Council,” an alpha suggested. “They will know what to do.”
The others nodded in agreement. There was no time to waste. Some alphas quickly left to send the message, carefully wording it to explain the situation without causing unnecessary panic.
“To the Great Southern Council,
We write to inform you of a grave situation concerning Alpha Zayron. His mind has been taken over. He now embraces the enemy, believing the Shadow Caster to be his mate.
This not only endangers him but also threatens our entire mission. If we do not act quickly, his influence will be used against us. We seek urgent guidance on how to free him before it is too late.”
With urgency and respect, Alpha Ethan and the Allied Alphas.
While the message was being sent, the remaining alphas moved toward Zayron and the Shadow Caster. They needed to talk to him, to understand the extent of the shadow that had taken over his mind.
They hoped to gauge whether there was any chance of reaching the old Zayron, or if he was completely lost.
“Alpha Zayron,” one of them said cautiously, approaching him, “are you sure you’re feeling alright?”
Zayron turned to face the alpha, his frown deepening. “What kind of question is that?”
“You seem… different,” the alpha continued, trying to keep his tone neutral, his eyes flicking nervously to the Shadow Caster beside Zayron.
“I am exactly as I should be,” Zayron replied stiffly, his grip tightening around the Shadow Caster’s hand, as if protecting something fragile. “And you all need to focus on the mission instead of questioning me.”
“We’re just trying to understand. How did you meet her?” another alpha asked gently, his eyes narrowing as he watched the interaction between Zayron and the Shadow Caster.
Zayron’s expression hardened. “Why does that matter?”
“We just want to know more about her. How she got here. We’re all allies here,” the alpha pressed, taking a careful step forward.
Zayron paused for a long moment, then spoke, his tone clipped. “She found me. That’s all you need to know. And that’s all that matters.”
The alphas exchanged uneasy glances. It was clear now. Zayron had been completely overtaken by the Shadow Caster’s spell.
His mind wasn’t just clouded. It had been reshaped. He no longer saw her as anything other than his mate, his true bond, and the Shadow Caster had completely replaced everything else.
The alphas who had gone to send the message returned just as the call for breakfast was heard from the pack house.
“The food is ready!”
But no one moved. The aroma of freshly prepared food filled the air, but none of them had the appetite to eat.
The weight of what had just happened hung heavy in the air. They couldn’t even think of food when their commander was lost.
“I still think we should inform Zayron’s mate,” he said again, his voice low but insistent. “She deserves to know. She should start preparing herself for the truth that Alpha Zayron is gone.”
“Don’t say that again,” an alpha warned. “Zayron is not gone. We will find a way to bring him back.”
At that moment, Zayron’s voice broke through the tension. “We need to pick suitable pack houses and get some rest,” he commanded. “We’ll meet again in the evening to plan our next attack.”
The alphas exchanged uneasy glances. None of them moved.
Zayron’s expression darkened. “Did you not hear me?” he snapped.
Still, they didn’t budge. Their eyes were fixed on the she-wolf Zayron was holding so dearly, his gaze filled with something they hadn’t seen in him before: a kind of soft, protective love.
From the way he held the Shadow Caster, it was clear how much he believed in the bond they shared.
Alpha Ethan’s heart sank. Zayron had been one of the strongest alphas, but now, he was a shell of the leader he once was. This was no longer the formidable alpha they all knew.
“Why aren’t you moving?” Zayron demanded.
“We’re comfortable outside,” one of the alphas answered.
Zayron’s eyes narrowed, and without another word, he grabbed the Shadow Caster’s hand, starting to head toward one of the pack houses.
“Follow him,” Alpha Ethan snapped his fingers at two alphas.
“Why?” they asked.
“You have one goal: to ensure Zayron never mates with the Shadow Caster. You’ll fight to the death, kill her if necessary, and flee rather than let that happen,” Ethan replied.
“Don't kill her!” another alpha interjected. “Only she can set Alpha Zayron free. Once she's dead, Zayron will never be the same. Whatever you do, protect the Shadow Caster at all costs!”