Jaxon I stood at the far end of my home office, arms crossed over my chest as I stared at the empty fireplace. No flames, no warmth, just cold stone and silence. Talon leaned against the polished table, his eyes avoiding mine. He hadn’t spoken much since I summoned him, and that silence was more damning than any lie. I turned to him slowly. “How long have you known?” He didn’t answer immediately. His fingers drummed a slow rhythm against the wood. “Known what, exactly?” My voice dropped. “Don’t do that. Don’t play semantics with me.” “I have to know what you’re talking about” He said. “About kairo. Both his new business and movements” I replied tone sharp. A pause. A long breath. “I suspected,” he finally said, meeting my gaze. “Didn’t know. Not for sure.” “Suspected what?” I pressed. “That Kairo knew where Callan was.” Talon’s tone was flat, almost careful. “I didn’t want to accuse him without proof.” That wasn’t the question though. I stalked closer, my jaw tightening.
Elvira After so many thoughts, I decided to approach Kale and talk to him. Even though that might annoy him more. I found him in the courtyard, shirtless, swinging a training blade against an invisible enemy like the enemy was himself. Or maybe it was Jaxon or maybe it was me. I stood by the doorframe, my fingers tight around the doorframe, and watched as his muscles rippled with each motion. Every strike felt like punishment. Every breath sounded like resentment. “Kale,” I called. He didn’t stop. “Kale,” I said again, louder this time. Finally, he paused, just long enough to let the silence scald me. He turned, sweat glistening on his skin, eyes sharp with something wild. There was no sign of emotion there. Just… fury dressed as grief. “You don’t use honorifics again, I see,” he muttered. “I want to talk to you,” I said, stepping forward. “About you nominating yourself.” “You mean the part where I decided not to roll over and not let your little romance story rewrite the or
DERIC I should’ve ignored the call. Hell, I should’ve blocked her the moment her name showed up on my phone five times in a row. But here I was, jaw clenched, hands on the wheel, driving toward a rooftop café that Elyra had texted me like some kind of royal command. Her text was short. “We need to talk. Alone.” The kind of message that never led to anything good. The sun was melting into the horizon when I arrived. She was already there, perched like a damn queen at a corner table, sunglasses on, long legs crossed. She didn’t wave when she saw me, just lifted her chin in that annoying way that said, you’re late. I sank into the seat across from her and didn’t bother with greetings. “I’m only here because you wouldn’t stop calling,” I said. She peeled off her sunglasses slowly. “And you wouldn’t have come otherwise.” “You think I want to look at you right now?” Her lips curved. “Good. This isn’t about what either of us want.” I narrowed my eyes. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
Callan’s POV A WEEK AGO… I never wanted to believe it. Not for a second. The text from Kairo blinked on my screen like a nightmare that refused to fade when I woke up. At first, I thought it was some cruel joke. Kairo’s sense of humor was twisted, sure, but this, this was a dagger to the heart, a poison that would damage my veins and made the world tilt beneath me. ‘You’re not who you think you are.’ Those words haunted me. It took me hours to even reply. My fingers hovered over the keyboard like I was about to confess some terrible crime. The message came again, brutal: ‘You were switched at birth. Queen Felen is your real mother.’ I stared at the screen. Blinked, read it again. My breath caught. My heart thundered like a war drum, pounding out a rhythm of betrayal and confusion. How could this be true? Kairo laid it all out in cold detail, like a prosecutor revealing the darkest evidence: ‘Queen Felen had an affair with the king — our father. He told me how my real mother
Kairo There’s a different kind of silence that comes from someone who knows no one’s looking for them. Brielle hasn’t said a word since the sun went down. She’s curled up on the cot, arms hugging her knees like they’re the last thing keeping her together. Her hair’s tangled, and her lip’s cracked from chewing it too much. Still beautiful, but in a way that makes your chest hurt to look at her. Which is a problem. I’ve never liked problems that come in pretty packages. I place the bowl beside her. Chicken soup. Or at least the closest thing I could scavenge. She doesn’t move. “Eat,” I say. “You need to.” “I’m not hungry.” She’s lying. Again. “Don’t make me spoon-feed you.” Her brows twitch, just barely. Not a smile. But a sign. I sit on the floor beside her, stretching my legs out. My back hits the wall with a quiet thud, and I let the silence stretch until it’s just uncomfortable enough. “You should know,” I murmur, “girls usually talk to me.” Her eyes slide toward mine,
Jaxon I sat in the Alpha’s chair, though it felt uncomfortable.. Maybe it knew I hadn’t earned it yet. Cassian leaned forward first, arms crossed and eyes unreadable. Talon sat stiffly across from him, gaze moving to Ronan, who was quiet as a stone statue at my side. The only voice missing, no, the only damn voice I wished I could drown out was Kale’s. “He refused again,” Cassian said flatly. “Said if you couldn’t lift a finger for Callan, you don’t deserve to be called a brother.” The muscles in my jaw twitched. “As if I know where Callan is. He disappeared, we searched. We burned through the place—” “But you didn’t call for a full-scale pack deployment,” Talon said. “We didn’t have time. Elvira was—” Ronan raised a hand, the scar along his forearm catching the light. “We know. You prioritized your mate.” And I’d do it again. I ground the heel of my boot into the floor, my voice low. “She nearly died. You think I wouldn’t have done the same if it had been any of you?” “You