LOGINMy head rested against his chest, the steady thump of his heart the only sound in the quiet room. No matter what happens… I won’t let anyone take them again. The thought anchored me, but so did the man holding me. Kharl’s arms were steel and velvet at once—strong enough to crush, gentle enough to heal. I breathed him in, pine and musk and the faint salt of the fear he’d finally let me see.He must have felt the shift in me, because his hand slid up my back, fingers threading into my hair. Slowly, he tilted my face up. Our eyes locked. No words. Just the raw, naked truth between us: we had almost lost everything tonight.Then he kissed me.It started soft—his lips brushing mine like a question, like he was still afraid I might vanish. But the moment I answered, pressing closer, the dam broke. The kiss deepened, turned hungry, desperate. His tongue swept in, claiming my mouth with a low groan that vibrated straight through me. I moaned into him, hands fisting in his shirt, pulling him h
Celeste POVFor the first time in days… I was alone.Truly alone.No children clinging to me. No guards standing too close. No whispers in the hallway. No tension pressing in from every direction.Just silence.I stood by the window in my room, staring out into the night. The palace grounds were calm again, but it didn’t feel the same. Nothing did anymore. Even the wind felt different, like it carried the memory of what had happened.My arms wrapped around myself unconsciously.I could still feel it.The ropes.The fear.The sound of Alora crying.Amelia going too quiet.The moment I thought—I might not see my children again.My chest tightened, and I closed my eyes briefly, trying to steady my breathing.“I almost lost them…”The words didn’t leave my lips.But they echoed inside me.A soft knock came at the door.My heart skipped.For a second, fear returned so quickly it made my body tense.Then I forced myself to breathe.“It’s just the palace,” I reminded myself.“Come in,” I sa
Ryan POVI watched him more than I wanted to admit.Not because I trusted him.I didn’t.Not fully.Maybe not even halfway.But Kharl had become impossible to ignore inside our lives now. He was there in the mornings when the children came down for breakfast. He was there during training, standing a little distance away as Rune and Blaze practiced basic stances. He was there in the evening when Alora demanded stories and Amelia sat quietly near him like she was still afraid to ask for space, but also afraid to be left out.And Celeste…That was what bothered me most.Celeste was letting him in.Slowly.Carefully.Not with open arms. Not with foolish softness. But still, she was letting him in.At first, she only allowed him near the children when she was present. Then she allowed him to take Alora to the garden for a short walk. Then Rune asked him a question about shifting, and Celeste didn’t interrupt when Kharl answered. Yesterday, Blaze sat beside him for almost ten minutes withou
Celeste POVThe palace had never felt so quiet.Not peaceful.Not calm.Just… quiet.The kind of quiet that comes after something terrible has already happened, when everyone is still waiting for the next thing to break.Even the air felt different.Heavier.As if the walls themselves had seen too much and were holding onto it.I walked slowly down the hallway, my hand resting gently on Alora’s head as she stayed pressed close to my side. She hadn’t let go of me since we returned. Not once. Not even when the maids tried to take her to wash up or change her clothes.She refused.And I didn’t force her.I couldn’t.Every time I moved too far from her, even just a step, her fingers tightened around me like she thought I might disappear again.So I let her hold on.Amelia walked on my other side.Quiet.Too quiet.That was what scared me the most.She wasn’t crying.She wasn’t clinging.She wasn’t asking questions.She just walked.Head slightly lowered, hands folded in front of her like
Kharl POVThe crowd had dispersed, but the weight of what Markus said had not.It followed me.Through the halls.Through the guards who tried not to look at me too long.Through the quiet that had settled over the Pack like something waiting to break.You think I was working alone?The words kept repeating in my head, steady and cold, refusing to fade.By the time we reached the lower chambers again, I had already made the decision.Public justice was one thing.Truth was another.And I needed the truth.Markus was already back in chains when I entered the room. This time, the space was smaller, tighter, built for containment rather than display. No crowd. No elders. No voices to interrupt.Just him.And me.He didn’t look up immediately when I stepped in.He already knew I was there.Of course he did.“You took your time,” he said after a moment, his voice calm, almost bored.I didn’t respond.I walked forward until I stood directly in front of him, close enough to see every detail
Third Person POV (Kharl / Ryder / Celeste)The courtyard had never felt this full.Not during celebrations. Not during war announcements. Not even during Alpha transitions.This—This was something else.Both Packs had gathered.Blood Moon.Golden Sky.Side by side.Not as allies in peace.But as witnesses to judgment.The tribunal platform stood at the center, raised high enough that no one could claim they did not see, did not hear, did not understand what would happen here today. Elders sat in a semi-circle behind the main stand, their expressions carved in stone, their presence alone enough to command silence from even the most restless warriors.Around them, the people filled every available space.Warriors.Citizens.Servants.Young and old.All watching.All waiting.Because this was not just a trial.This was a message.And everyone knew it.Kharl stood at the front, just below the platform, his presence alone enough to keep the restless murmurs under control. His posture was
Celeste POVRyan held me for a long time.His arms were firm around my shoulders, steady and comforting, the way only a brother could be. My face was buried against his chest as I tried to calm the storm of emotions inside me.“Shhh,” he whispered softly. “Everything will be alright.”I wanted to b
Kharl POV“You think I didn’t know?” I asked quietly.The question hung in the air between us like a blade.Lydia’s face was pale now, the anger from earlier slowly being replaced with something else.Fear.Her mouth opened slightly, but for a moment no words came out.Finally she managed to speak.
Celeste POVThe room felt different after Janet left.Not empty—just… still.For a while I remained where she had hugged me, my hands resting loosely at my sides, my gaze drifting toward the mirror where she had stood moments earlier. I could still see the image of her in that royal blue dress, eye
Celeste POVI was still standing in the middle of the room, my heart unsteady from everything that had just happened, when the door opened.The sound made me turn too quickly, my thoughts still tangled in Kharl’s words, in the warmth of his arms, in the dangerous familiarity of that kiss. For a sec







