Alpha Derrick strode into the living room, his expression unreadable.
He saw Mona seated elegantly, her eyes scanning him the mont he entered.
He imdiately knew he wasn’t in the mood for another disagreent.
He had too much on his mind, and fighting with his wife wasn’t sothing he wanted to add to the list.
*I’ll keep it calm,* he thought.
*She’s up to sothing, but I’ll play along.*
He took a seat opposite her, and they exchanged pleasantries. It wasn’t the warm kind, but a distant, forced interaction.
The silence stretched between them until Mona finally moved closer, her voice soft yet firm.
"Derrick, what’s happening to us?" she asked, her dark eyes searching his face.
"We are drifting apart, and it’s making uncomfortable... unhappy."
Derrick t her gaze, silent for a mont as if he was searching for sothing.
*What is she playing at?* he wondered.
*Is she trying to manipulate with soft words?*
If that was her plan, he decided he would play along.
"Mona," he said finally, his voice calm but firm, "I won’t deny that things have changed between us. But honestly, I think it’s your fault."
Mona blinked, then quickly masked her reaction with an understanding nod.
*Good,* she thought. *If I act like I’m agreeing with him, he’ll lower his guard.*
"How am I always the problem?" she asked, her voice laced with just the right amount of hurt.
"Tell what I’ve been doing wrong, Derrick. Tell how you want things to be."
Her eyes held a look of sincerity, though deep down, she knew she wasn’t being entirely honest.
Derrick sighed and leaned back in his seat. "You’ve stopped trusting ," he said.
"You used to believe in my decisions. You used to support without question. But lately, it feels like you’re always doubting ."
Mona remained quiet, pretending to process his words. Then, she sighed dramatically.
"I’m sorry, Derrick," she said in a low voice.
"It’s just... you don’t handle things as firmly as you used to. Before, people feared and respected you.
Now, it feels like they do things behind your back because they don’t take you seriously anymore."
Derrick studied her carefully.
*She thinks I trust her now.*
He didn’t. Not entirely. But he made sure his face showed only understanding.
"I haven’t lost control," he said, his tone calm. "I’ve just been using a different approach. Trust , Mona. I will make us proud again."
Mona gave a small nod, acting as though she was satisfied with his answer.
For a few monts, neither of them spoke. Then, she leaned forward slightly.
"So... have you heard anything about Kimberly?" she asked, trying to sound casual.
Derrick shook his head. "No. Not yet," he replied. "But I’m sure we’ll find her soon."
As soon as the words left his mouth, he turned to her and fixed his gaze on hers.
"Tell the truth, Mona," he said suddenly. "Did you really want to kill Kimberly?"
Mona’s heart skipped a beat, but she recovered quickly. Her face reflected a brief mont of shock, but she knew she had to act fast.
*I can’t slip now. He’s testing .*
"I was jealous," she admitted, lowering her gaze slightly.
"I thought you were giving her attention, and it made angry. But, Derrick, I swear—I would never go as far as killing her."
Derrick’s expression remained unreadable.
"I wasn’t giving her special attention," he said.
"We needed her for sothing important. Once we got what we wanted, we would’ve discarded her. That was always my plan."
Mona nodded slowly, pretending to believe him.
*So that was his plan all along?* she thought. *Use her, then dispose of her?*
She kept her face neutral, but deep down, she knew Derrick was lying about sothing too.
Derrick suddenly leaned in and wrapped his arms around her in an unexpected hug.
Mona stiffened for a mont before slowly relaxing into the embrace.
"It’s always been you, Mona," he murmured. "It will always be you. Once all of this is over, we’ll have everything we want."
For a brief second, his words lted her heart.
But only for a second.
She knew better than to fully trust him.
Before either of them could say anything else, Derrick’s phone rang, shattering the fragile mont between them.
He glanced at the caller ID and imdiately stood up, excusing himself.
Mona watched as he walked to the other side of the room and answered the call without hesitation.
"Alpha Derrick, we’ve received information on Kimberly’s location," Alpha Eduardo’s voice ca through, urgent and serious.
"I’m sending you the address now."
Before Derrick could ask any questions, the call ended.
Derrick lowered the phone, staring at the screen as his mind raced.
His jaw tightened.
*Could this be real?*
Or was it a trap?
He stood there alone, his thoughts swirling in conflict.
★★★
Kimberly walked down a street unlike anything she had ever seen before.
The entire place was bathed in light, and snowflakes drifted down gently, disappearing the mont they touched the ground.
Yet, she felt no cold. It was strange, surreal—like a dream, but far too real to be one.
*Where am I?* she wondered, her feet moving forward without her control.
Sothing deep within her urged her forward, as though an invisible force was guiding her. She could not resist it.
After what felt like an eternity, she finally reached a place unlike any other.
A gigantic gate stood before her, adorned with glowing symbols, radiating power.
The air around it pulsed, alive with unseen energy. But what caught her attention the most were the n guarding the entrance.
They were dressed in ancient attire—robes made of thick woven fabric, layered with golden armor, and their faces were stern, unreadable.
But the mont they laid eyes on her, sothing unexpected happened.
They dropped to their knees in perfect unison.
Their heads bowed low, hands pressed to their chests, and when they spoke, their voices were deep and resonant, speaking in a language she had never heard before.
And yet... she understood every word.
"Supre Moon Goddess... We bow before your presence."
Kimberly’s eyes widened.
*Supre Moon Goddess?*
Before she could ask any questions, the gate groaned open with a deep, echoing sound.
Beyond the entrance stood three won, waiting for her.
They were unlike anything she had ever seen—dressed in pure white garnts that shimred like liquid moonlight, their hair long, flowing, and glowing with a silver-grey light.
Their eyes, full of wisdom and power, locked onto hers the mont she stepped forward.
"Welco, most favored of all... Supre Moon Goddess."
Their voices blended as one, harmonious and powerful, like an ancient chant woven into the very fabric of existence.
Kimberly swallowed, still struggling to process everything. But her feet moved forward on instinct, following as the won led her inside.
The mont she stepped into the grand hall, she felt it—power.
The entire place was massive, adorned in gold, yet it was not the beauty that overwheld her.
It was the sheer energy that pulsed through the walls, through the very air she breathed.
This place... it was alive.
Kimberly could no longer contain her curiosity.
"Where am I? And who are you three?" she asked, her voice steady but filled with uncertainty.
One of the won turned to her with a serene smile.
"You are in the first-ever Castle of Hope. This is the sacred ho of the Moon Goddesses, a place of power and destiny."
Kimberly frowned slightly. "Moon Goddesses?"
The second woman stepped forward. "Yes. We are the past Moon Goddesses, each from a different era. When our ti ended, we were called here, united as one."
Kimberly’s heart pounded.
"Wait... if this is where Moon Goddesses go when they pass away... does that an I’m—"
Her breath hitched.
"Am I dead?"
The third woman let out a soft chuckle, shaking her head.
"No, child. You are not dead."
Kimberly exhaled in relief.
"But," the woman continued, her tone gentle yet firm, "you are in a state between worlds.
A state where you must learn, where you must understand and control what you have beco."
Kimberly stared at them, confused. "Control what?"
"Your power," they answered in unison.
"You are not just any Moon Goddess," the first woman explained.
"You are the Supre Moon Goddess, the first of your kind in centuries. All the past goddesses have passed their essence into you.
That is why you are here. Until you master your strength, you cannot return to the living."
Kimberly felt her stomach twist.
*I’m stuck here?*
Her mind raced.
*What if I don’t make it back? What if I’m not strong enough? What will happen to Theo? What about my friends?*
As the thoughts swirled in her mind, sothing shocking happened.
The three won turned to her with knowing expressions, as if they had heard every single thought.
"You must let go of your doubts," they said in unison, their voices both comforting and commanding.
"Worrying about the land of the living will not help you. What happens there depends on the choices you make here."
Kimberly’s breath hitched.
One of the won stepped closer. "A gift of the Moon Goddess is the ability to hear the thoughts of others.
You cannot hide from us, just as no one can hide from you."
Kimberly felt a chill run down her spine.
*So they really heard everything?*
She barely had ti to process before they placed their hands on her shoulders.
The mont their hands made contact, a surge of energy exploded through her body.
A force unlike anything she had ever felt before. It was pure, raw, and endless.
The power surged through her veins, filling every inch of her being. The hall shook, the golden pillars vibrating with the sheer force of it.
And then—
A sound erupted.
Louder than thunder.
A roar of energy so strong it felt like the universe itself was speaking.
The won began chanting in their ancient tongue, their voices weaving together in a powerful lody of command and destiny.
"For the beginning starts, the end must be an expectation... Let every power, every breath, and every soul unite for the rebirth of the Supre Moon Goddess!"
The words echoed, bouncing off the walls, filling every corner of the great hall with undeniable power.
Kimberly’s body trembled as the energy intensified, her mind struggling to hold on.
And then—
A voice.
A voice so familiar it cut through the chaos like a blade.
"Kimberly, we are in danger! Help us!"
Her breath caught.
*Theo?*
Her body tensed, but she couldn’t move.
She was trapped in the power.
Trapped between two worlds.
And the desperate voice of Alpha Theo faded into the distance...
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