เข้าสู่ระบบCeleste POVI hated how quickly normal disappeared.One moment, I had been trying to breathe through fear, convincing myself the palace walls were enough, that extra guards and locked doors meant safety.The next—I was being told a secret organization had been watching my children for months.Months.The word kept echoing in my head as I stood frozen in the war room, my fingers curled so tightly into my palms that my nails hurt.Watching.Not just Markus.Not Lydia.Something bigger.Older.Patient.I suddenly felt sick.Kharl was already issuing orders by the time I forced myself to breathe properly again.“Inner ring lockdown.”“Double escort rotations.”“No servant changes without clearance.”Warriors moved immediately, the room filling with motion, urgency, voices.But all I could hear was my own heartbeat.“Celeste.”Kharl’s voice pulled me back.I looked at him.He was standing directly in front of me now.Too close.Too serious.“We need to move.”My throat tightened.“To wher
Ryan POVFor a few seconds after Ryder said the name, nobody spoke.Even the air in the war room felt different.Heavier.Like something ancient had just stepped into the room with us.I looked between Ryder and Kharl, waiting for one of them to explain why that single word suddenly made the atmosphere feel colder.Celeste was still standing near the doorway, pale but alert, her arms wrapped around herself tightly.Kharl was the first to break the silence.“What exactly is the Circle?” he asked.Ryder didn’t answer immediately.That alone made my stomach tighten.Because Ryder was not a man who hesitated without reason.Finally, he exhaled slowly.“A hidden network.”“That means nothing,” I said sharply.Ryder’s expression darkened slightly.“It means they are not a Pack,” he explained. “Not bound by territory. Not loyal to Alpha laws. Not accountable to any council.”Celeste frowned.“So what are they?”Ryder looked at her.“Collectors.”The word made no sense.Until he continued.“P
Ryder POVThe knock came just before dawn.Sharp.Urgent.The kind that meant bad news.I was already awake.Truthfully, I had not slept much at all. Between Markus’ escape, the increased patrols, the tribunal, and the constant tension hanging over both Packs, real rest had become impossible.So when the pounding came again at my chamber door, I was already moving.“Enter.”The door opened immediately.A guard stepped inside, breathing hard, his expression grim.“Alpha Ryder.”“What is it?”He swallowed.“A message was found in Lydia’s cell.”That got my full attention.I straightened.“What kind of message?”The guard hesitated.“Threat.”Of course.I followed him immediately.The lower halls felt colder at this hour, the stone floors still carrying the damp bite of the storm outside. Torches flickered weakly along the corridor walls as we descended toward the dungeon.By the time I arrived, Lydia was no longer pretending strength.She looked terrified.Actually terrified.Not manipu
Lydia POVThe dungeon smelled like blood, wet stone, and despair.I hated it.Every second inside this place felt like punishment long before any sentence had been officially passed.The bruises on my arms still ached where the guards had dragged me earlier. My wrists burned from the chains. My back screamed every time I leaned the wrong way against the cold wall.But none of that hurt as much as the silence.No servants.No luxury.No gowns.No power.Just me.Alone.Exactly how I used to fear ending up.I laughed bitterly at the thought.Funny.After everything I had done to become Luna, this was where ambition brought me.A soft sound echoed outside the bars.Footsteps.I sat up immediately.A guard approached.“On your feet.”I frowned.“For what?”“You’re being questioned.”Again.Wonderful.I stood slowly, my legs weaker than I wanted to admit, and allowed them to drag me from the cell.This time the interrogation room felt different.Not because it was less cold.Because someon
Kharl POVI stayed in Celeste’s room longer than I planned.Not because I had anything important left to say.But because leaving felt wrong.The storm outside continued violently, rain striking the palace windows hard enough to sound like tiny stones against glass. Thunder rolled across the sky every few minutes, shaking the walls slightly, but inside the room the children had finally settled again.Amelia was asleep against my side now.Alora had shifted closer sometime during the night until half her body was practically on top of Celeste. Blaze slept near the foot of the bed with one arm hanging over the edge, while Rune remained curled toward his siblings protectively even in sleep.I watched them quietly.Mine.The thought still hit me strangely sometimes.Not because I doubted it anymore.Because I had missed so much.Five years.Five years of first words, first steps, birthdays, nightmares, laughter, scraped knees, and bedtime stories.Five years I could never get back.The gu
Celeste POVRain poured heavily against the palace windows.The sound should have been comforting.Instead, it made me restless.I stood near the fireplace in my room, staring into the flames while the children slept nearby. The storm outside had lasted for hours now, dark clouds swallowing the moonlight completely. Every few minutes lightning flashed across the sky, followed by thunder strong enough to shake the windows slightly.Normally, Alora would have climbed into my lap complaining about the noise.Tonight, she slept curled tightly beside Amelia, one small hand still gripping the sleeve of Amelia’s nightdress like she was afraid the other girl would disappear if she let go.That alone made my chest ache.The kidnapping had changed all of them.Even the little things were different now.Rune checked the locks before bed without being asked.Blaze woke up twice from nightmares but pretended he only wanted water.Amelia apologized constantly for things that were not her fault.And
Kharl’s POVThe former healer did not want to see him.That alone told Kharl everything.The woman lived on the far edge of Blood Moon territory now, tucked away in a modest stone house that smelled of dried herbs and old smoke. She had retired quietly three years earlier, citing age and failing ha
Kharl’s POVFive years should have been enough.Five years should have quieted the doubts, softened the sharp edges of regret, forced acceptance into place through sheer repetition. Five years of telling himself the same truths until they hardened into law. Lydia was Luna. The child was his. Blood
The rogue didn’t die right away.That alone unsettled me.He lay bound beneath the watchtower, wrists secured with rune-forged cuffs, chest rising in shallow, uneven breaths. Blood soaked into the earth beneath him, dark and sticky, but his eyes remained sharp—too sharp for a man who should already
Celeste POVRyan didn’t take me to the training grounds.That alone should have warned me that this lesson would hurt more than bruises ever could.We met instead in the smaller council annex, a room most wolves ignored because it held no weapons, no banners, no symbols of dominance. Just maps, rec







