MasukSol POVI was exhausted.Aella was exhausted.The children, however, seemed to possess an infinite source of energy that defied every law of nature.Honestly, after everything we had learned recently, that should not have surprised me.Yet somehow it did.The war room meeting had ended.The commanders had been informed.The truth was out.And my mother had casually informed half the leadership of two kingdoms that Marcus and I were Elias' sons.Just like that.No warning.No preparation.No discussion.Not even a polite "How do you feel about this?"I wasn't angry exactly.Just...Tired.The whole world now knew I was the son of a monster.A monster who had manipulated kingdoms.Destroyed lives.Raised armies of mutants.And tried to steal one of my children before they were even born.I knew the truth.I knew who I was.But it still stung.The Bond must have carried some of those thoughts because Aella's hand found mine immediately.No words.Just understanding.That somehow made it
Aella POVThe atmosphere changed completely once the battle ended.The Silver Pack had survived.The barrier stood.The people were safe.And for the first time in weeks, laughter echoed through the territory.Real laughter.The kind that came when people realized they were alive.Children ran between the warriors.Families reunited.Pack members celebrated beneath the shimmering dome of protection.The barrier glowed softly overhead, a constant reminder that someone was watching over them.Protecting them.The commanders gathered around us while Beatriz and Samantha held the babies.Or attempted to.Xander kept floating.Riot kept escaping.Althea kept judging everyone.Normal behavior, apparently.The warriors were fascinated.Several commanders had gathered around Samantha.Others around Sol.The younger warriors were openly trying to get Riot's attention.Which immediately proved to be a mistake.The little menace looked delighted.I was introducing the children to several pack el
Aella POVThe battle continued long after the barrier rose.The dome of protection stretched over the Silver Pack like a second sky.Golden sunlight intertwined with shimmering darkness.Beautiful.Ancient.Alive.Every time a mutant slammed into it, the barrier responded with a flash of light.Holding.Protecting.Enduring.The sight alone gave the pack warriors new strength.Unfortunately, Sol and I had nothing left.Absolutely nothing.The ritual had drained us.Six hours of blood.Six hours of chanting.Six hours of feeding our essence directly into the land.By the time the barrier completed itself, my legs barely worked.Sol wasn't doing much better.We stood together near the boundary line, trying very hard not to collapse.The effort was becoming increasingly difficult.A mutant crashed through a group of trees.Another followed.Then another.I instinctively reached for my power.Nothing answered.Not enough.The barrier had taken almost everything.Then Hunter moved.The bat
Aella POVWe were close.So close.Less than thirty steps.Thirty.After six hours of walking.Six hours of chanting.Six hours of feeding our blood into the land itself.The barrier was almost complete.The Silver Pack was almost safe.The realization gave me enough strength to keep moving despite the exhaustion clawing at my limbs.Around us, the battle continued.The commanders had somehow managed to hold the mutants back.Barely.The sounds of combat echoed through the forests.Roars.Howls.Explosions.The clash of claws and steel.But the fighting felt distant now.Muted.The ritual demanded too much attention.The land beneath my feet glowed softly.Ancient runes flickered beneath the soil.The territory was listening.Waiting.Ready.Twenty-nine steps.Twenty-eight.Twenty-seven.Then the earth exploded.The ground directly beneath me cracked apart.One second I was walking.The next—I was falling.The world vanished beneath my feet.Darkness opened below.A massive fissure t
Aella POVThe ritual began before sunrise.According to the ancient texts, timing mattered.The boundary had to be created in a single continuous circuit.No interruptions.No shortcuts.No teleportation.No assistance.The monarchs themselves had to walk every inch of the territory they intended to protect.Their blood.Their will.Their promise.Only then would the land recognize them.Only then would the barrier live.I stood beside Sol at the edge of the Silver Pack territory.The forests stretched endlessly around us.Mountains rose in the distance.Rivers cut through the land like veins.For the first time, I truly appreciated how large the pack lands were.Because we had to walk all of it.Every border.Every boundary.Every corner.Hunter stood nearby holding the ancient text.Beatriz had already threatened both of us.Several times."If either of you collapses, I will personally bring you back just so I can kill you."An inspiring speech.Sol seemed oddly reassured by it.I f
Aella POVThe following days were... different.Sol didn't mention our argument again.Not once.He didn't bring up Elias.He didn't bring up the Silver Pack.He didn't bring up me running into danger alone.But I could tell.The Bond told me.His actions told me.His silence told me.He was worried.Not panicked.Not angry.Worried.Deeply worried.The kind of worry that settled into a person's bones and refused to leave.Sol stayed close.Always.If I was reviewing reports, he was reading beside me.If I was meeting with nobles, he was handling Academy paperwork nearby.If I walked through the Void, he somehow ended up walking through the Void too.He wasn't being controlling.That wasn't who Sol was.He was simply... there.Present.Watching.Making sure I was safe.Part of me wanted to tell him he was being ridiculous.The other part remembered the look on his face after the Silver Pack attack.Remembered the fear.The desperation.The honesty.A few words weren't going to fix tha
Maxwell was gone. Truly gone.For a flickering second, a memory I had tried to bury surfaced. I remembered his laughter as a pup, high and bright. I remembered him rolling around in the dirt with Caleb and Jax, four children making a mess of the world. He used to help me in ways no one else dared,
The announcement arrived via a royal scroll at breakfast: a Medieval Masquerade Gala. Attendance was mandatory for all towers. The King’s decree was clear—this wasn't just a party; it was a showcase of the hierarchy. "A group entrance," Marcus proposed, leaning back with a grin that was all sharp
Two months had passed since the cafeteria incident, and the hierarchy of the Imperial Tower had shifted permanently. Amelie had leaned fully into her "victim" persona, limping through the halls and wearing silk scarves to hide bruises that had long since healed. She whispered to anyone who would li
The arena was a theater of carnage. Maxwell stood on the sands, his chest heaving, his wolf pushing so hard against his skin that his eyes were a constant, unstable amber. Sol stood opposite him, calm and immovable. Before the first blow was struck, Pamela stepped onto the lower ridge of the stand







