Lucy.“These are the keys to the cage.”I blinked, trying to process what Ellison had just handed me. “Wait… what did you say? Where did you find these?” My voice was tight with confusion, suspicion threading through it.He gave me a look that warned against more questions. “That part doesn’t matter,” he replied calmly. “Just know the ones inside… they’re wolves like us. If there’s a way, set them free.”“Wolves?” I repeated in disbelief. “Why would Thorne call them dogs?”Ellison’s expression darkened. His fingers clutched my wrist with a sudden urgency, the pressure making me wince slightly. “I don’t know, Lucy,” he said, barely above a whisper. “But I have a bad feeling. Whatever you see beyond that door… do your best. And promise me, be careful.”I opened my mouth to say more, but he was already gone, lost among the sea of masked faces swirling in the masquerade. Around me, the world moved as if nothing had changed, as if I wasn’t standing here with something that could unravel ev
Lucy.Blending in was my only chance at surviving in this hell.I wore what the others wore, unremarkable clothing, dark and utilitarian, designed to slip through shadows unnoticed. A hood shielded my features, and a false beard masked my jaw. Though the rogue uniform was a rough fit, it granted me the mobility I needed to vanish among the crowd. Even Alpha Ellison had managed to merge into the chaos of the masquerade, staying inconspicuous as we both moved deeper into the gathering’s core.I was just a few strides away from reaching the final step of our plan when a voice, strong and unmistakably authoritative, sliced through the music.“Hold it.”I stopped mid-step. A rogue loomed in front of me, his frame tall and solid in the flicker of torchlight.“Come. Now,” he demanded.I didn’t resist. His tone marked him as one of the elite, one of the higher-ranking rogues whose words weren’t to be questioned. I shot a fleeting glance toward Ellison, but he’d already melted into the crowd a
Lucy“A fresh rogue, are we?”The voice coiled behind me like a snake through dry grass. My whole body went rigid. I turned slowly, heart slamming against my ribs. One hand hovered near the dagger hidden under my tunic. Then I saw his eyes.Golden. With a speck of amber in the right one. Familiar. Too familiar.My breath caught in my throat.That scar just above his brow—the one I knew better than my own reflection. My lips parted without sound. My pulse stuttered, and I forgot for a second how to breathe.“...Ellison?” I said softly, barely audible over the pulse pounding in my ears.A smirk tugged at the corners of his mouth. “Shh,” he murmured, raising a finger to his lips. “Don’t blow your cover, Rook.”I didn’t wait. My hand latched onto his arm and yanked him toward a crumbling wall coated in shadow. The alley was narrow and dim, but even the dark had ears in a place like this.“Are you out of your mind?” I whispered fiercely. “Do you have any idea what you’re risking?”He lean
Lucy.He was finally conscious.My heart clenched, a sharp jolt of hope laced with dread. I had waited for this—paced these hallways, snapped at healers for scraps of news, and kept watch beside his bed until my eyes ached. He might be the key to all my problems.His eyelids fluttered, unfocused at first, then gradually steadying on me.“You’re... the Alpha,” he croaked, his voice like gravel ground beneath boots.I pulled the chair closer to his bedside and sat, leaning forward slightly. “You recognize me?”He gave a slow, pained nod. “I was there. When you were crowned Alpha. Not long after... we were taken.”We. Not those people. Us. A tremor passed through me, but I swallowed it down. I couldn’t afford to be emotional now.“What’s your name?” I asked gently.“Kael,” he said after a pause. “At least... that’s what my mother used to call me.”I reached for the clay mug on the table beside him and handed it over. His hands trembled so badly, I had to steady it for him while he drank.
AuroraThe instant my body shattered through the ship's window, the world spiraled into absolute chaos.Glass sprayed outward like sharp, glittering shards. Wind screamed in my ears, deafening and fierce. But it was the moment that followed, the one where I plunged into the freezing, unrelenting water.Agony ripped down my spine, like a knife dragged from the base of my neck to the small of my back. My lungs seized as I inhaled saltwater, choking. Still, I clutched my babies to my chest, one in each arm. Their tiny frames felt featherlight, but the fear coming off them was palpable.Keep moving, I commanded myself. Don’t stop.I kicked hard, legs slicing through the current with every ounce of strength I had left. Every motion was a fresh jolt of pain. My back screamed, but I didn’t stop to think about it. Nothing mattered except the two little lives I held tightly against me.Behind us, the ship detonated in a thunderous burst of fire and steel. I never looked back.My muscles scream
Aurora.Click.I squeezed the trigger again.Still no shot. My breathing grew erratic, sharp gasps filling my lungs as I pulled it once more. And again. And again. But it was no use.A sharp peal of laughter ripped through the silence, cold and cruel.“Oh, Aurora,” calantha mocked, tossing her head back with a smirk. “I knew you’d mess this up. Always the same, reckless, emotional, easy to read.”My hands trembled as I stared down at the dead gun, heart slamming against my chest. Vision hazy, breath hitching, I held onto the weapon with stubborn fingers. I wouldn’t let it go. Rage surged up through the bruises on my ribs like liquid fire. “You were going to murder my children.”“And you were ready to kill the man you love,” she replied silkily. “Didn’t even flinch. That’s what I wanted to see. You raised that gun like the obedient little marionette you’ve always been. You're still mine, Aurora. Just a little polish, and you'd be perfect again. We both know what's in the way, it’s them