Violet: Luna of The One-eye Alpha

During my maternity leave, I found myself scrolling through the pack’s online forum to pass the time. That’s when I stumbled upon a post that was rapidly climbing in popularity. The headline read, "I Don’t Envy His Mate Because He Reserves All His Love for Me." Curious, I clicked on it. The profile picture was a butterfly—the same butterfly that matched the tattoo on my mate’s arm. --- Exhaustion from childbirth clung to me like a heavy fog, and the gnawing pain in my back felt like it could snap at any moment. In an attempt to distract myself, I aimlessly scrolled through the pack’s online forum and stumbled upon a post buzzing with activity. The profile picture was a butterfly, identical to the tattoo on Edison’s arm. Intrigued, I opened the post, and each word radiated the brazen audacity of an Omega trying to claim what wasn’t hers. "My mate’s Luna just had his child, and she’s home recovering. I casually mentioned wanting to visit Venice, and he booked a flight immediately.

I was ready to reveal my true identity, imagining Charles's proposal, but then I overheard the conversation. "Are you and Tracy Davis getting married?" "What about Victoria?" "She's nothing special, just a mistress." Fury coursed through me as I walked away. Tracy Davis, the girl who tormented me in high school, was now a part of Charles's plans. I ended things with Charles, then orchestrated the merger of all the companies that had humiliated me-at their wedding ceremony.

He is power, control, and consequence. She is everything he never planned for. Lucien Blackwell rules his world through silence and precision, dismantling threats before they speak his name. When betrayal from his own family forces him to tighten his grip, the last thing he expects is her-a florist whose calm presence unsettles him more than any enemy ever has. As unseen eyes close in and his shadow stretches across her life, she refuses to be protected through ignorance or distance. Instead, she chooses awareness, agency, and a place beside the danger. Because some things don't survive darkness. They bloom within it. Blooming Under His Shadow is a slow-burn romantic suspense about power, choice, and the risk of loving a man whose world was never built for light.

Chapter 1 It was their seventh wedding anniversary. Carolyn found the divorce agreement in Roger’s nightstand. The pages were covered in scribbles and corrections, as if he’d agonized over them for years. *"If, during the marriage, I fall in love with another person, I voluntarily relinquish all assets and leave with nothing. Asset details as follows…"* His first impulse had been to walk away empty-handed. But the asset section told a different story—a mess of revisions. First, he’d crossed out the property he intended to give her. Then, the fifty million earmarked for her was scratched out and replaced with five hundred thousand. Finally, as if in penance, he had written a single line. *"Better to have Carolyn leave with nothing. No choice, Catherine is pregnant."* … Carolyn sank onto the bed, disbelief washing over her. On the agreement, Roger’s signature was clean and decisive, without a hint of hesitation. And the document had been drafted seven years ago—the very year they married. That year, Roger had been willing to give up everything for her. Yet every year after, he had crossed out another piece of their shared life. Now, seven years later, the one leaving with nothing would be her. Her phone buzzed abruptly. A message from Roger. *"Urgent business. Won't be back."* She called, only to find his phone already switched off. Another notification flashed—a screenshot from a friend. Catherine, the student she sponsored, had posted on social media. *"Wow, got praised! To commemorate my first period without a leak, the big boss said we should celebrate properly!"* In a nine-photo collage, Roger gazed at her, eyes crinkling with affection as he fastened a dazzling gemstone necklace around her neck. The post was tagged at a couples-themed hotel. Carolyn’s breath caught. He couldn’t remember seven years of marriage, of weathering storms together—but he could find the energy to celebrate Catherine’s… leak-free period. And that pendant… she’d seen it at an auction just last week. It was her mother’s lost heirloom. She’d been ready to bid when her bank card was frozen. She’d asked Roger why. A long time later, he finally texted back, telling her not to waste money on such impractical things. Clutching her bidding paddle, she’d sat helplessly in the auction hall. In the end, she resolved to sell one of her own designs to raise the funds. But someone on the phone swooped in with an unbeatable offer and took it. For weeks afterward, Carolyn hated herself—hated that she couldn’t protect her mother’s last keepsake. She never imagined the one who snatched it away was Roger. He knew exactly how much that pendant meant to her. Yet he gave it to Catherine. Even on their seventh anniversary, Roger had lied about being busy with work, while wining and dining the girl she’d sponsored. The anniversary gift he left her was a divorce agreement demanding she leave with nothing. Seven years of marriage. Seven years of infidelity. And Carolyn had known nothing. She’d even introduced the other woman to him herself. Catherine was the impoverished student Carolyn sponsored. The first time Catherine came to their home to give thanks, Roger found her intrusive and disliked her on sight. *"That girl has no manners. Tracked mud all over my cashmere rug."* *"If her grades aren’t up to par, cut the sponsorship."* Back then, Carolyn had teased him, saying not to be jealous—it was good the girl had a grateful heart. She never once suspected Roger and Catherine. For seven years, everyone in their circle believed Roger never played around. That he loved only Carolyn. But by their next meeting, Catherine had become Roger’s personal assistant. Roger explained, *"The girl’s had it tough. You’ve sponsored her for years. Giving her a job is just helping you out."* Carolyn had laughed it off. Now, hands trembling, she opened Catherine’s social media feed. Catherine had always hidden her posts from Carolyn. Now, she seemed desperate to flaunt everything. While Carolyn drank until her stomach bled to secure a deal for Roger, Catherine was using Roger’s card to buy her first Louis Vuitton. While Carolyn changed bedpans for Roger’s bedridden grandmother, Roger was taking Catherine to a perfume atelier for a blending class—calling it a business trip. Catherine had even complained online. *"Your wife is such a pampered princess. Can't handle the tiniest thing without you running back. Can she not live without a man?"* And Roger had replied beneath it. *"If she were half as independent as you, I’d have an easier life."* But that day… Carolyn’s mother had lost her battle with cancer. She’d cried until her heart felt shredded, scrambling to handle the arrangements. All the while, Roger kept checking his phone impatiently, eager to leave. Not for work, she realized now—but because he was desperate to get back to Catherine.

The pack run had been Marcelo's idea. He'd announced it three days prior at the weekly council meeting, his Alpha tone leaving no room for debate. A show of unity, he'd called it. A reminder that the Black Moon Pack moved as one body, one purpose. I'd watched him from my seat at the far end of the table—the Luna's chair, though I'd stopped feeling like a Luna months ago—and said nothing. Petra Voss had nodded approvingly. The other council members had murmured their agreement. Rosalina, seated closer to Marcelo than protocol allowed, had smiled that soft, adoring smile she always wore around him. I should have known then. The territory's northern river was swollen from early spring melt, the current fast and mean.

My childhood friend, who came from the same prestigious Alpha lineage as mine, fell in love with an Omega from the Misty Pines Pack, a modest and unremarkable group. To bond with her, he defied his pack’s expectations and broke off our engagement. Heartbroken, I decided to leave the Silver Moon Pack’s territory and study under a renowned healer in Paris. By the time I returned to London, Felix and Chloe had been bonded for nearly two years, and I had moved on. At the welcome-home party organized for me, Felix, who once defied everyone to be with Chloe, was now looking at her with disdain. His voice was cold, carrying the weight of his Alpha authority as he remarked, "Weren’t you supposed to stay at home? Why come out and make a fool of yourself?" When I got back, my friends threw me a lavish welcome party. Much to my surprise, Felix was there. Seven years ago, he insisted on ending our engagement for Chloe, publicly declaring that if he couldn’t bond with her, he’d rather live as a rogue than accept me. Words like that disregarded the long-standing alliance between our packs.