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Section 1
### Chapter 1: Chapter 1
He rejected her to save her life. She returned to save his soul. Six years ago, Alpha Alastor Campbell broke Barbara Konnor’s heart—and the sacred mate bond—believing a deadly curse would destroy her if they stayed together. Now war threatens his pack, and Barbara is the strategist the council sends to save them. Except she’s not the girl he left behind. Barbara has become a legend of her own. A warrior. A weapon. And the bond they once shared? It never truly died. As rogue packs gather, ancient magic awakens—and a long-buried prophecy resurfaces. The only hope for the Campbell bloodline lies in the woman Alastor once pushed away… and the truth about her bloodline that could either break the curse forever—or burn them all.
Complete Chapters 27 Rating 4.8 ( 56 reviews ) Age Rating mature {"language":"en","storyId":1500978,"genres":[{"name":"Fantasy","path":"/genres/fantasy"},{"name":"Romance","path":"/genres/romance"}],"authorName":"B E Harmel","authorPath":"/brunaharmel","status":"complete","lastUpdatedAt":1760533093,"chaptersCount":27,"rating":4.839285714285714,"reviewsCount":56,"ageRating":"mature"} Chapter 1 POV: Barbara
The scent of old stone and ink hit me the second I stepped into the council hall.
It always smelled the same—plans etched on parchment, sweat in the air, desperation hiding behind polished manners. But this time, I wasn’t here to beg for resources or fight for a cause. I was the resource.
I walked through the double doors like I owned them. Because in here, I did.
My name was whispered across packs like a warning and a prayer. Barbara Konnor—strategist, field commander, and the woman who trained herself into a fucking weapon after being discarded like a failed Luna. And now? The Council summoned me.
My boots echoed sharp across the marble floor. My braid hung tight down my back, my green eyes scanning the long table at the center of the war room.
And one empty seat at the head of the room—the Alpha who’d requested support.
The one whose pack was under siege by a rogue faction.
I stopped a few paces from the table and crossed my arms, giving the gathered elders a cool, expectant look.
“You called,” I said. “So let’s not waste time.”
A few of the older men stiffened at my tone. But they didn’t argue.
Councilor Mira, a sharp-eyed woman in her sixties with silver hair coiled like a crown, was the first to speak.
“Thank you for coming, Miss Konnor. We understand you’ve recently completed campaigns in the Blackmount region and the North Crescent Border.”
“Five victories. Minimal losses,” I said, ticking off the facts like a grocery list.
“You’re aware this is different.”
“Rogue pack,” I said, nodding. “Organized. Resourceful. Not typical ferals. If they take this pack, they’ll have a corridor straight through the Eastlands. You’ll lose control of four bordering territories.”
Mira smiled faintly. “Exactly.”
I lifted a brow. “So whose pack am I saving?”
And I felt it before I saw him.
A sudden flicker under my skin, like lightning without thunder. Like memory stirred in my blood.
The man who entered was taller than I remembered, broader. Hair dark brown, shaggy at the edges, those same hazel eyes like sunlight behind storm clouds. He walked like war was stitched into his spine—calm, heavy, controlled.
The man who kissed me under the full moon when we were seventeen.
The one I thought was the love of my life.
The one I gave myself to, completely, unconditionally.
And when we turned twenty-one—he became something more.
Fated. Chosen by the Moon herself.
The reason I trained until my bones shattered and rebuilt stronger.
The reason I carved myself into a weapon.
And he was standing in front of me.
Looking at me like I was a ghost.
Like I was a memory that hurt to touch.
I straightened my spine. Masked everything. Let my voice go cold.
“Alpha Campbell,” I said. “What a surprise.”
His throat bobbed. His fists clenched.
“Barbara,” he said—soft. Reverent. Like my name still meant something.
“It’s Miss Konnor now,” I replied, chin high.
The room went tight. Too still. Even the council knew something had shifted.
Councilor Mira cleared her throat. “You know each other?”
I smiled, sharp and tight. “Yes.”
The bond between us throbbed like a wound that never healed.
I’d left the day after the rejection. Never saw him again.
And yet now—standing here—it felt like nothing had changed.
My wolf stirred under my skin, restless. Hungry. Confused.
I turned to the council, my voice steady. “If this is the pack in question, I assume the situation is worse than you’ve let on.”
“Then give me the full command. Your maps. Access to your scouts. And I’ll win this war for you.”
Alastor flinched like I’d slapped him.
Because if I did, I might remember what it felt like to be his . And I wasn’t that girl anymore.
“I’ll need full command,” I said again, folding my arms. “Maps. Scout reports. Chain of communication through me.”
The council shifted. Mira’s eyes narrowed. But I just turned slowly toward him, letting my gaze drag over him like a blade.
“No?” I echoed, voice cool as steel.
“This is my pack,” he said, voice tight with control. “I’ve bled for it. Built it. Brought it back from the edge more than once. I won’t hand over complete control to an outsider—even if she has a reputation.”
The word stung more than I wanted it to.
“Oh, I see. So you called in me —the council summoned me —for my strategy, for my results, for my ability to win battles no one else could…”
I took a step toward him. Slow. Deliberate. My voice lowered, sharp and lethal.
“But now that I’m standing here, you want to leash me? Tell me where and how I can lead?”
His jaw flexed. “You don’t understand the internal dynamics—”
“I understand war, Alpha Campbell,” I snapped, and his name came out like poison. “And I understand rogue strategy better than anyone else in this room. Including you.”
Alastor’s wolf stirred behind his eyes—glowing faintly, surging.
Councilor Jones cleared his throat loudly. “Enough. The council asked Miss Konnor for her expertise, yes. But Alpha Campbell remains the leader of his territory. You’ll work together. ”
“Together?” I repeated, lips curling in a humorless smile. “This should be fun.”
“I’ll approve every tactical move,” Alastor said, jaw still tight. “Every scout report passes through me. Every deployment—cleared by me.”
“And what if I say no?” I asked, eyes glittering.
“Then we fail,” he said, his voice low. “And I won’t let that happen.”
He looked at me—not like the girl he left behind.
“I’m not here to play by your rules,” I said, stepping back. “And I don’t owe you anything—least of all your pride.”
But I could feel the rage simmering under his skin.
I turned to Mira. “I’ll need quarters away from the Alpha’s wing. A war table and space for my team when they arrive. If I’m being asked to win this thing, I do it on my terms.”
Mira nodded slowly. “You’ll have it.”
And I walked away without another word.
Because this war wasn’t just about territory anymore.
And I was done letting Alastor Campbell write the terms of my life.
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### Chapter 2: Chapter 2
I couldn’t stop thinking about him.
How his shoulders had gotten broader, how his voice had sunk deeper into something dark and commanding. How the soft edges of the boy I’d loved were now carved into the sharp lines of a hardened Alpha.
But my wolf—traitorous thing—responded to him like we hadn’t spent years training ourselves to forget.
My jaw was tight as we crossed into Moonridge territory. The border felt heavier than it ever had. Once, this place had been home. Now it was something else.
The houses were still there. The trees we used to run through. The hill we’d kissed on under a blood moon.
And gods—my parents’ house, still nestled on the ridge like time hadn’t dared to touch it.
My heart twisted. It was stupid, how nostalgia could feel like grief.
I was twenty-five now. Decorated. Respected. Feared, even. I’d built myself from the rubble he left behind.
But being here… brought the rubble back.
I clenched my fists as I entered the central stronghold. Alastor had sent warriors to escort me through the gates like I was some diplomatic guest instead of the girl who once dreamed of ruling by his side.
They led me through corridors I used to know like the back of my hand. Everything looked the same. And nothing did.
When I stepped into the war room, I forced my shoulders square.
The space was clean, organized, clearly prepared for me.
Alastor had set a table with maps. Notebooks. Two chairs.
And him—he was already there, waiting.
Leaning over the table, sleeves rolled up, shirt straining against his chest. He didn’t look at me at first.
Slowly, he straightened and turned to face me.
Older. Sharper. More beautiful than it had any right to be. His hazel eyes locked onto mine—and something flickered.
Something that made my wolf rise like a tide under my skin.
“You found the room,” he said, voice low and rough.
“I was told it was prepared.” I walked past him, keeping my steps even. “Nice to see you’re capable of doing your homework.”
A faint twitch at his mouth. Not quite a smile.
I set my bag on the edge of the table. Unbuckled the strap. Deliberate. Calm.
His eyes tracked every movement.
“You’ve changed,” he said after a beat.
And for a moment, the air in the room was too hot. Too still. Like a fight or a kiss was about to happen.
“You’re still angry,” he said, as if he had any right to be surprised.
“I’m not angry,” I said, turning slowly to face him. “I just don’t forget.”
“You’ll find all the recent scouting reports on the far right,” he said after a moment, deflecting. Always deflecting.
I moved to the table, eyes scanning the documents. “You’ll stay out of my way?”
“I’ll be involved,” he said, stepping closer. “This is my pack. I still make the calls.”
I looked up at him. “The Council gave me full command of this war.”
“And I’m the one who has to answer for every decision.”
The old heat flickered between us, bright and dangerous.
“Well,” I said, my voice like a knife wrapped in silk. “Guess we’ll have to find a way to work together.”
His eyes dropped to my mouth, just for a second.
“I won’t make it easy,” I whispered.
By the time the sun crested over Moonridge’s stone walls, the courtyard was already alive with motion.
And right on time—they arrived.
Clara stepped out first, tall and sharp as a blade. Strategic genius. Zero tolerance for bullshit.
Maria followed—short, quiet, lethal. Nobody saw her coming until it was too late.
Behind them, August and Ronan—my twin hammers. Brutes, but brilliant. Loyal beyond question.
He walked with that eager swagger that only came from someone who had never had his heart broken. Yet. Gods help him.
The moment his eyes landed on me, Roy lit up like a damn sunrise.
“Boss,” he called, breaking into a jog. “We got here as fast as we could.”
The others fell into line behind him. Clara gave me a crisp nod. Maria offered a quiet smile. August and Ronan grinned like they were ready to throw someone through a wall.
They all called me the same thing.
Not Luna. Not strategist. Not Miss Konnor.
I earned that title in blood and steel and endless sleepless nights. And gods, I wore it like armor.
Then I felt it—heat along my spine.
I looked up and saw Alastor , standing at the edge of the training field. Arms crossed. Jaw tight. Eyes locked on us like we were a threat—or a test he didn’t plan on failing.
My team tilted their heads slightly in greeting, a show of respect for the pack’s Alpha. Protocol. I hated how it twisted something inside me. I used to be the one in charge here.
“Alpha Campbell,” they greeted in unison.
I gestured toward them. “These are Clara. Maria. August. Ronan. And Roy.”
Roy stepped a little closer than necessary. “Anything you need, boss. You know that.” His smile lingered—longer than it should have.
I knew that smile. The way he leaned in, the light in his eyes. He’d been into me for months. But I never let it go anywhere. He was younger, under my command, and I didn’t do entanglements.
Hot gaze. Jaw like carved stone. Entire body tense like he was holding himself back with a leash he hated.
Let him watch what it looked like when someone didn’t throw me away like I was nothing.
Roy, oblivious—or maybe just bold—kept his eyes on me. “I brought the maps and that intel breakdown. I can walk you through it now if you want—”
“I’d like to see it too,” Alastor cut in, voice smooth and sharp all at once.
He was walking toward us, controlled as ever, but every inch of him radiated Alpha . And heat. And restraint that felt like it might snap at any moment.
He stopped just beside me, too close for comfort. Or maybe too close for sanity. His body heat kissed the side of mine.
Roy’s smile faltered. “Sure. No problem. I was just bringing the boss up to speed.”
“I’m sure she’s capable of reading it herself,” Alastor said evenly—but his tone was sharp enough to slice through bone.
And so godsdamn satisfying I almost smiled.
I turned to my team. “You know the drill. Meet me in the guard HQ in twenty. We move fast. We don’t wait for permission.”
Clara smirked. “Just like old times.”
Roy leaned in slightly again. “Want help setting anything up in there?”
Before I could speak, Alastor answered for me.
Roy held my gaze a second longer before peeling off with the others. Just slow enough to make sure Alastor saw.
He stepped closer. That familiar heat. That maddening scent.
“Jealous, Alpha?” I tilted my head, my voice sweetened with venom.
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Readers can read all books for free, without any ads and give the authors feedback.
Books that perform well based on their reader engagement are published on our Galatea app.
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