LOGINAria POVI stepped back through the gates of the pack, my heart was thundering so hard I thought the guards might hear it. The walk back from the clinic had felt endless. Every sound behind me had made me jump. Every pair of eyes in the market felt like they knew where I had gone and why.I kept my scarf over my head as I hurried across the yard. The morning had brightened, and workers were moving about, carrying trays, folding laundry, scrubbing steps. I thought maybe I could slip in quietly and no one would notice. But then I froze.Kael’s voice rang across the courtyard. Low, sharp, furious. He was speaking to one of the guards, his hands clenched behind his back, his body stiff with control.“Find her,” he was saying. “Now. I don’t care where she went. No one leaves this house without my knowledge. Do you understand me?”The guard stammered a yes and rushed off, but Kael turned at that exact moment. His eyes locked on me.My breath caught. My legs wanted to run but they wouldn’t m
Chapter 77Aria POVThe morning light slipped through the curtains and dragged me out of sleep. My eyes felt heavy but my mind wouldn’t rest. I lay still for a while listening to the quiet in the pack house. It was too quiet. Kael had left early or maybe he was avoiding me. Either way it gave me a chance to think.I pressed a hand against my stomach. My wolf stirred inside me, a reminder that I wasn’t alone anymore. The weight of that truth was almost suffocating. I had lied to him once. I had told him the baby was gone. Now I was caught between guilt and fear, between wanting to tell him everything and knowing what it would do to us both.I threw the blanket aside and sat up. My chest rose and fell quickly. I couldn’t keep lying forever. I needed to know for sure that everything was fine. The healer wasn’t an option. If she touched me she would discover the truth. So I had only one choice. I had to sneak out.I dressed quickly, nothing too flashy, just a plain dress and a scarf to hi
Chapter 76Kael’s POVI left her standing in the garden but her face stayed in my head. The way she froze when I touched her. The way her hands flew to cover herself like she was guarding something. I knew that look. It wasn’t fear of me it was fear of being found out.By the time I reached my chamber Daniel was already waiting. He had that restless energy around him like he’d been pacing. Frank walked in a few moments later carrying a bottle of liquor and three glasses. He set them down on the table without a word.I poured a drink and swallowed half of it in one go. The burn did nothing to quiet the storm in my chest.Daniel broke the silence first. “So what happened this time”I set the glass down hard enough to make it crack. “She was at training. Standing there like she belonged watching me like I was some stranger. When I asked her what she was doing she said she needed air. I pressed her and she swore she wasn’t hiding anything but I don’t believe her. She’s lying Daniel. I can
Aria’s POVThe morning after the chaos with Elena, I decided I needed air. The walls of the pack house felt like they were closing in on me, every corner whispering Kael’s suspicion and Elena’s mocking smile. I couldn’t breathe there.So when the workers started clearing the yard and preparing for the weekly training drills, I slipped outside, blending into the edges of the gathering.It was rare for me to watch pack training. I wasn’t expected to. Breeders were usually hidden away, kept safe, kept quiet. But something about the clash of bodies, the snapping growls, the heavy thud of feet against dirt—it pulled me closer. Wolves moved in sharp precision, warriors shouted orders, the scent of sweat and earth filled the air.And then I saw kael, my anger suddenly aroused. He was at the center, his voice cutting through the chaos with ease, his presence commanding without effort. He moved like the Alpha he was,sharp, ruthless, controlled. Even his wolf lurked just beneath his skin, simm
Chapter 74Daniel’s POVThe corridors of the pack house still smelled faintly of ash and storm after Kael’s fury last night. I hadn’t slept much. I couldn’t. My Alpha’s temper was a fire that burned too close, and no matter how loyal I was, sometimes it felt like standing in the middle of a battlefield with no shield.Morning light crept through the curtains of my chamber when a knock sounded at the door. I already knew it wasn’t just a summons,it was Kael. He had that way of dragging people into his storm whether they were ready or not.I tugged on my boots and opened the door. A guard stood there, stiff as a board. “Alpha requests your presence. Immediately.”No surprise. I muttered, “When doesn’t he?” and brushed past the man.The halls echoed with my steps as I made my way to Kael’s chamber. I could already hear voices inside—his and Frank’s. That wasn’t new. Kael always called us both when he was at his breaking point. Beta and Gamma. His wall. His curse.I pushed open the heavy
Kael’s POVI left the council chamber restless that morning. The noise from downstairs had reached me even before the guards reported it. By the time I arrived, Aria was already in the middle of it, standing with fire in her eyes while Elena screamed about her missing jewelry. The entire pack house had been dragged into her performance like children summoned to answer for crimes they never committed.I didn’t say much then. I simply ended it. One command from me and Elena had no choice but to retreat, though not without throwing daggers from her eyes at Aria. But I caught every detail,the way Aria placed herself between Elena and the workers, the way she spoke without hesitation, daring anyone to challenge her.It was bold. It was reckless. It was dangerous.And it stirred something in me I couldn’t name.By the time the pack settled back into uneasy silence, I needed answers. Not just about Elena’s antics but about Aria. She wasn’t the same quiet girl who used to walk these halls car







