Allegiance rituals are one of the oldest ceremonies, the House of Stone holds dear to its heart. I can't say for sure who instituted the ceremony or when it was instituted.

Most of the members of the Stone royal family have no idea either; it's a tradition as old as we can remember and the only one that sets them apart from the other houses.

I wasn't sure how Ava managed to pull the strings, but I know it must have taken a lot of effort to bring a non-member to her allegiance ceremony.

She practically leaped for joy when I called her to take her up on her offer. If she had any ulterior motive for inviting me, well, that makes the both of us.

I had to find out why the witch Lelani would send her minions to my office. It makes no sense, but nothing she ever does is in vain. She is up to something, and I think I should clip her wings now before it's too late.

I pulled up at the garage and got out of the car. I decided to drive myself today because I wanted to clear my head and prepare my mind for the mind game ahead.

"Hey, you made it." I saw Ava come out of the house and head towards me.

"Yeah," I replied. We exchanged pleasantries and headed into the house.

I got in to see a small number of people, who divided themselves into groups and spoke about whatever.

My eyes rested on Lelani, she turned to look my way the instant I got in. We held a gaze for seconds before she turned away.

"Make yourself comfortable; I will be right back," Ava whispered before disappearing upstairs.

That line should have been mine. If she and her mom didn't mark me to be killed, well they are going to pay dearly for that.

I could feel their gazes on me; it was slowly becoming burdensome. I moved towards the hallway, escaped through the back, took a right, and there I was at my haven.

I can't recall the number of times I have hidden away in this garden to enjoy some alone time.

Not that I am hiding away or something, but I just need to clear my head and get my acts together. I was enjoying the beautiful garden, when a mixture of jasmine and rose hit my nose.

"Beautiful combination," I whispered, closing my eyes to enjoy the scent.

"Who's taking up my hiding spot?"

"Not here too," I whispered to myself. I turned to see who the intruder was.

"Hi Joel," I replied, smiling at him.

"Look who showed up," he smiled.

"It is I, your fairy godmother."

"Very funny," he said, laughing hard.

"What are you doing lurking around in dark places? Shouldn't you be preparing for the ritual?"

"Are you going to tell on me?"

"And risk not seeing you again, nah," I said, and we both laughed.

"How did you find the garden? Not many of our members know about it."

I paused for a second, wondering what to say. "I took the wrong turn, and here I am." I lied. Well, I hope he believes me because I can't think of what to say if he doesn't believe me.

"Oh......"

"What are you doing?" That deep, familiar voice cut him off.

"Alpha Damian, I was just,"

"Go make yourself useful, Joel," he commanded, cutting him off. Joel stole a glance at me before disappearing.

"What are you doing with my Delta?" he questioned. I know I should be scared of him at this point; he is known to snap once he is angry, hence the name, Mad Alpha, but rather, what I smell from underneath that mask, is jealousy.

"Enjoying nature, why can't I do that with your Delta?"

"He is beneath you, Nicole" his gaze burning with lust and the animalistic instinct to bend me over and fill me with his dick.

"Really, well, he makes me smile," I quickly chipped in. I heard his heart beating faster, and his face quickly changed, ready to tear Joel into shreds.

"I will see you around Alpha Damian," I whispered before disappearing into the house, his gaze lingering on my body. He isn't the only one who enjoys the hunt.

I got inside to see a few members of the Stone family seated, Lelani inclusive. I guess the allegiance ritual had already begun. But then what was the Alpha doing outside?

I was lost in thought, wondering what could be wrong, when Lelani walked up to me. From her facial expressions, I knew she was about to confront me anyway.

"Hi Nicole"

"Lelani." I slightly looked down to show respect, then stared back at her.

"It seems you have so much free time on your hands."

"I don't understand," I blurted out, frowning. The door suddenly opened up, and an old lady came out.

It's traditional for the oldest lady in the pack to announce the arrival of the Luna after the initiation.

She clapped her hands to gain our attention; we all turned, and she said,

"Hello everyone, we present to you Ava Dahila Stone, the Luna of the House of Stone."

Ava walked out hand in hand with Damian, all smiles, and of course, thinking she had won this game, we all cheered so happily.

Only, I was cheering her on because it might be the last time she smiles so heartily. I would gladly be her nightmare.

The old lady raised her hand, and the cheering ended.

"In respect to the traditions, a gift shall be bestowed on the Luna by our Alpha." The room was suddenly filled with murmurs, which died down as quickly as it began.

"Ask anything of the Alpha, and consider it done."

She glanced at me and smiled. I instantly knew she was up to no good; whatever she was going to ask, we would regret later. Ava has always been one mean girl who gives no shit about anyones emotions; as a matter of fact, her motto has always been, Whatever Ava wants, Ava gets.

"I want Eloise Head on a platter," she said, pointing at the blonde girl standing in the corner.

I was shocked to find out that she was talking about Eloise Gilmore.

"Luna Ava, we cannot..."

"You said anything, and it is done. Well, I want her head on a platter now," Ava yelled, cutting the old lady off.

"Get your sh*t together; what are you doing?" Damian tried scolding her, but the Ava I had grown up with doesn't give up too quickly until she got what she wanted.

Eloise was at the corner, watching silently as the drama unfolded. Lelani seemed more troubled than ever; I guess this wasn't part of the plan.

Eloise Gilmore is the youngest daughter of the House of Gilmore, one of the lowest houses in the order. She was mated to the Beta of the House of Brighton to secure her house's future but instead ran away with the Gamma of the House of Stone to become his mistress. The gamma was killed in a rogue attack a few years ago, and she decided to stay since she had nowhere else to go.

I wonder who told Ava that it was possible to kill Eloise; even when she has been disowned by her father, killing her will be outright war with the Gilmores. Alpha Damian Stone can't afford to go to war with any of the houses right now since he would soon lay claim to sit at the head of the order as the Alpha of the Alpha.

"Well, since Luna Ava can't come up with a befitting wedding gift, we would gift her what we had prepared."

"I demand a trial; if Eloise is found guilty, her head will be chopped off," Ava cut in feeling pained.

Damian and the old lady exchanged glances before the lady accepted the trial.

Ava has some stunts up her sleeve, but I wonder what, because I could swear she just wants Eloise because of her madness to keep Damian to herself.

We were ushered into the inner throne room, and I stood at the far corner, watching the whole drama.

"She stole my diamond necklace, the one you gifted me on the night of our wedding," she accused Eloise, who stared at her confused.

"Eloise Gilmore, do you have anything to say for yourself?" Damian asked, looking from Eloise to Ava.

"I didn't steal anything; I don't even know what the necklace looks like Alpha Damian," Eloise said almost in tears and, scared for her life.

"Shut up, you liar."

"Silence Ava," Damian barked. "Do you have any evidence or witnesses?"

"This is the necklace; I found it in Eloise's room, and I do have a witness." Ava quickly announced, and Eloise fell on her knee, begging for her life, while the whole room suddenly became noisy.

"Silence everyone, Bring your witness; if this witness confirms your story, Eloise's head will be brought to you on a platter, but if not, then this case will be thrown out and never raised again.

"I call on Mrs. Nicole West; she saw the necklace when I found it in Eloise's room."

Eloise gasped the moment she realized that the luna was falsely accusing her. For some reason, I saw myself in Eloise. Ava is about to snuff out her life like she would have done to me if I hadn't escaped.

She had already hatched a plan before inviting me over for the allegiance ceremony.

I could hear whispers of my name around the room, I was called to stand at the center with all eyes on me,

Ava nodded at me, she smiled urging me to go ahead and confirm the story and seal Eloise's fate.

"Were you with Luna Ava when she found the diamond necklace in Eloise's room?" Damian asked. I gently walked to the center, everyone staring at me. Eloise was on the floor looking dejected, while Ava didn't stop smiling at me. I guess she is so confident that I would help her achieve her devious plans.

Maybe I would have if only I didn't swear to bring her down.

"I wasn't with Luna Ava when she found the diamond necklace," and the room instantly became noisy again.

"Silence! Are you saying that you didn't witness this"

"No, I didn't witness it."

Damian turned and stared at her with bloodshot eyes. Lelani was pissed, but I didn't give a fuck.

"This case is hereby thrown out." Damian rules before storming off.

"Thank you; I owe you my life," Eloise said before going to join some women at the corner while Ava grabbed my hands.

"You said you would help."

"Ouch," I yanked my hand away, "I said, I saw the body build, but it wasn't Eloise; don't drag me into your drama," I warned her.

Ava stormed off, looking pissed. It's all going according to plan; turn them against each other. At this rate, I might not lift a finger as they keep aiming for each other's throats.

"If you don't leave this minute, I will tell my son-in-law that you are not who you made him believe you are," Lelani warned.

"Good. While at it, please explain to him why you broke into my office, jeopardizing his company's future. Do you want to try?"

"How did you..." I quickly shoved a picture of the white SUV into her hands.

"We both know who owns it," I said, staring at me in surprise while hiding the picture in her bag.

"If you pull this kind of stunt with me again, I won't be this kind."I warned her.

"What stunt?"

"Nina, get me a glass of chilled water. Scratch that. A glass of hot water, please." The line went dead.

I looked out the window to check if it was snowing but the sun was already out and about, but why do I feel so cold?

The door pulled open, and Nina walked in with a tray in her hand. She dropped the glass on the table and left.

I picked up the glass and took a sip. I was about to gulp it all down when a cold breeze came in through the window. I quickly closed the window, as I was already freezing.

I picked up the glass to finish up the water; maybe it would help calm my ass down. I took a sip and quickly yanked it off.

I stared at the glass, confused. It was hot a few seconds ago; what happened again? This is the third glass of water that suddenly turned cold within a second.

"I should turn in for the day," I said, shivering, but the gentle knock on the door cut me off, and then Nina walked in.

"Your 1 p.m. meeting is about to start, ma'am."

"What, What meeting?" I asked, grabbing the phone, to check my schedule for the day.

"Shit!" I exclaimed, It is my last meeting for the day. "Get my files," I instructed Nina while making my way to the door.

* * * * * * * *

It was a hell of a day. I was shuttling between concentrating on the meeting and covering myself up because of the cold.

"Who feels cold in the middle of the fucking summer?" I asked myself confused, maybe I catched something.

I was speeding home to lock myself in before I froze to death.

The minute my car came to a halt, I got into the house and stripped myself naked before getting inside the jacuzzi, and turned on the hot water.

"That feels good," I whispered. The minute the water came into contact with my body, it felt so good that I decided to stay a little while longer, enjoying the hot bath.

The thought of Lelani's face when Damian suddenly showed up was epic. He won't hesitate hanging her if he ever finds out she is still in contact with those fools.

As satisfying as it would have been to watch her die, I decided to stick to clipping her wings for now and not killing her.

"I might not be this merciful again, cross me and I will throw you to the dogs" I warned, I could hear her heart racing like fuck, but the die is cast and there is no hiding anymore.

I began freezing again and I quickly sat up from the jacuzzi I was leaning on. I got off the jacuzzi, and grabbed the robe hanging in the corner, shivering and wrapped my body in it. I was about to step out of the room when I noticed the vapor covering the jacuzzi.

"Is it still hot?" I asked myself, confused, but it made no sense if it was still hot. Why was I feeling dead cold while in it? I dipped a finger in but hit it on a cold, hard surface.

"Ice!" I exclaimed, confused as fuck. I quickly walked to the mirror to have a look at myself, and there was nothing different about me except that I was wet all over.

"What is going on?" I asked myself, but the response I got was a deafening silence. My heart was beating more rapidly than it had earlier, and I could feel the adrenaline pumping hard while checking up myself.

After much deliberation, I decided to let my wolf run free in the woods behind my property.i still have no answer for the ice but It has been a while since I let my wolf run; maybe that is why I suddenly feel so sick. I hate shifting to my wolf form. I had a hard time growing up at the Crows and during my time at the Stones. I had always been a white wolf without a single blemish or dot on the fur, and they always made fun of me, calling me a weirdo.

It was almost dark outside, and you could barely see anyone. I walked out at the back and headed past the small garden at the back and toward the woods. A few steps further, I gently took off my robe and neatly stacked it at the foot of a tree with my slippers underneath.

I swiftly shifted into my wolf form, but something was unusual about my wolf also. I wasn't the biggest wolf, but I was bigger than most she-wolves, it felt like I was an inch bigger, but then again, it might just be because I hadn't shifted more often.

I ran a few circles, then ran farther into the depths of the woods, speeding till I was far away from familiar grounds. The cold feeling I had earlier had all disappeared.

After running around for a few minutes, I decided to head back inside since I was feeling all better. I was heading back to get my clothes when it suddenly started raining.

I heard a twig break, followed by footsteps. The scent was familiar but wasn't clear. I guess the mud is messing with the scent.

I became alert and slowly made my way to the tree. I had stacked my clothes, but there were no signs of my clothes. I shifted to my human form, as it helped me search for my clothes properly.

After a couple of searches, I couldn't find my robe, I was contemplating sneaking back into the house naked. When I heard footsteps behind me, I turned aggressively ready to pounce on whoever it was.

"Hi"

"Dean, right?" I asked, wondering if I got the name right. He diverted his gaze, staring up at the branches.

"This part of the woods is out of bounds; wild animals are always lurking around," he said, still looking at the branches.

"Really, have you seen one?" I asked.

"Yes, and it's Dan," he corrected. "Here are your clothes; I thought it was one of those teenagers that keep wandering in these woods."

He handed me the robe and slippers while still looking the other way. I guess he has grown tired of watching me naked; I am a wolf, and the naked thing is our thing.

I wrapped the robe around my body while he went on lecturing me about how dangerous the woods are.

Dan is my hot human neighbor, one of the hottest people I find attractive, aside from Ares, but there is something about Ares that makes him dangerous.

Anyway, I had thought of banging him a couple of times, but he is already harvested.

Yeah, the dude is married, but that won't stop me from feeding my eyes; it's a free world after all.

"You should go back inside; you are going to catch a cold, Mrs. West," he said before turning to leave.

"The cold," I blurted out. I wasn't feeling cold anymore.

"Hah! I was right after all," I joyfully said while making my way out of the woods to my property. I got back into the house and dried off both my hair and my body.

I changed into dry, comfortable clothes to turn in for the night. But I went into the kitchen to grab a glass of water before turning in. It was dark in the kitchen but that wasn't a problem either.

I filled the glass with water and tilted it to take a sip, but nothing was coming out. I shook the glass, but nothing was coming out. I quickly turned on the light, and was shocked, I let go of the glass immediately. It fell to the floor and shattered.

Scared, I jumped and grabbed the fish tank at the corner, while watching the shattered cup on the floor. I heard a cracking sound, turned and was amazed at what I saw, I slowly walked back, staring as the glass and water in the tank froze till they shattered.

"Ma'am, are you okay?" I heard my maid ask,

"Yes, yes, I am fine," I quickly replied.

"Step back, ma'am," she said before disappearing to get something to clean up the mess.

"I just froze that glass," I whispered as I walked back into the room. It had been me all along, I can now freeze things.

All the six families that make up the order each have distinct powers they are known for. The Crows are healers; they are known throughout the lands for their healing powers. While the Stones conjure weapons, you don't want to mess up with a stone; you won't know where he is hiding a knife.

When my powers of conjuring fire manifested on my 20th birthday, all hell let loose, as that power hadn't been used in the past twenty years. They said I had always been a weirdo with a white wolf, then came the power to conjure fire.

My powers were what gave me the mark for death, as they branded me the fake Crow. I am neither a Crow nor a Stone. I had no means of knowing my true identity.

The more I thought about it, the more confused I became.

It's never been heard of—a wolf with two powers. But here I am with powers I shouldn't have in the first place.

"How did I end up with two powers, Who am I?"