LOGINNobody moved.The entire clearing had fallen silent.The woman's final words seemed to hang in the air around us."You have no idea what you are, do you, Avery?"My heart hammered against my ribs.Every instinct I possessed screamed that she was dangerous.Yet the power beneath my skin wasn't warning me away from her.It was reaching toward her.Recognising her.That frightened me more than any threat ever could.Zane stepped forward until he was standing directly in front of me.His broad shoulders blocked part of my view and his Alpha aura rolled through the clearing like a storm."You're done speaking in riddles," he said coldly. "Tell us who you are."The woman looked at him for a moment before smiling.It wasn't a mocking smile.It was almost pitying."I know exactly who I am."Her silver eyes shifted back to me."The real question is whether she does."A growl ripped from Zane's chest.The wolves surrounding us tightened their formation immediately.One wrong move and this entir
The night air hit me like ice the second I stepped outside.The courtyard was already alive with movement.Warriors rushed between the armoury and the vehicle sheds. Wolves checked weapons, packed supplies, and exchanged clipped orders. Nobody wasted time asking questions.They knew exactly what this was.A hunt.Jaxon was standing beside a large black SUV when we reached the steps.“Four vehicles,” he said as we approached. “Tracking team in the lead. Strike team behind.”His eyes flicked briefly toward me.“And no arguments.”I almost smiled.Almost.Zane didn’t.His hand brushed mine briefly as we walked.A silent warning.A silent promise.I wasn’t entirely sure which.The bond between us felt different now.Stronger.Sharper.Like something had shifted permanently tonight.The attack.The power.The fear I’d felt when they came for my son.It had changed something inside me.I could feel it.Even now.Waiting.Watching.Hungry.“Ready?” Jaxon asked.I nodded once.The Beta looked
The war room had never felt this small.It wasn’t the size of it. The long oak table still dominated the centre, carved with the history of every Alpha before Zane. The walls still held the same maps, the same ward markings, the same symbols that had protected the pack for generations.But tonight, it felt like none of it was enough.I stood at the far end of the table, arms folded tightly across my chest, forcing myself to stay still while every instinct inside me screamed to move.To act.To do something.Zane was already in command mode.“Report,” he said, his voice cutting cleanly through the low murmur of gathered wolves.The room quieted instantly.Beta Jaxon stepped forward first, his shirt still streaked with dried blood—not all of it his own.“Three injured at the south ridge. Two more near the ravine. No fatalities,” he said. “They pulled back fast once the breach failed.”“They always do,” someone muttered from the side.Zane ignored it. “Tracks?”“Gone within half a mile,”
AveryFor a moment, I couldn’t breathe.Not from the fight. Not from the shift. Not even from the power that had just torn through me like something ancient finally waking up.From the silence.It pressed in from every side, thick and unnatural, like the forest itself was holding its breath.My son’s cries filled the nursery, sharp and desperate, anchoring me. I tightened my hold on him, pressing my face into his hair, breathing him in as if that alone could keep him safe.“I’ve got you,” I whispered, though my voice trembled. “I’ve got you.”But the bond betrayed me.Because underneath the surface—beneath the relief, beneath the adrenaline—fear spread through the pack like poison.Not fear of the attack.Fear of me.Zane felt it too.I saw it in the way his shoulders tensed as he stepped further into the room, his gaze sweeping over the cracked walls, the shattered window… and then settling on me.On what I had done.“You didn’t just push him back,” he said carefully.I swallowed, fo
AveryThe first scream came just before dawn.It sliced through the bond like shattered glass—panic, pain, fury all tangled together—and every wolf in the pack felt it at the same time. I was moving before I was fully awake, heart slamming against my ribs as instinct surged to the surface.Zane was already on his feet.“South ridge,” he said, voice tight. “That was south.”I didn’t argue. I didn’t think. I shifted mid-stride, bones burning, the familiar agony grounding me as fur tore free and power flooded my limbs. We burst from the pack house together, wolves pouring out behind us like a living tide.The forest no longer felt watchful.It felt hostile.The scent hit first—wrong, sharp, invasive. Not just rival pack.Multiple.“They’ve crossed the line,” someone snarled through the bond.And this time, they didn’t fade back into the trees.We found the sentry near the old ravine, blood darkening the leaves beneath him. Alive—but barely. Two others stood over him, backs bowed, hackles
Chapter ThreeAveryMorning didn’t bring relief. It brought clarity—and somehow that was worse.The pack house woke slowly, but the tension never eased. It clung to the walls, the floors, the air itself, as if the night had soaked into the wood and refused to leave. Wolves moved with purpose now, quieter than usual, eyes sharper, tempers closer to the surface. No one laughed. No one lingered.They were afraid.I felt it in the bond, a low, restless hum beneath my skin. Fear, yes—but also anger. A need to act. Zane felt it too. I could sense him pushing it down, locking it behind discipline and command, but it was there, coiled tight.Elara’s words replayed in my head no matter how hard I tried to focus on anything else.You hide him.You don’t.I stood in the kitchen pretending to drink tea that had long since gone cold, watching the doorway as pack members passed through. Mothers. Warriors. Elders. All of them glancing toward the upper floor where my son slept, all of them thinking t
Avery's POVI had to pinch myself.Craig was alive.Zane would be just as confused as I am. I looked at Carolina again, and she was still scowling at me like I was below her. Looking away, I refused to let her make me feel worthless. "Zane will be back soon, but Craig. I don't know how he will re
Craig’s jaw clenched, his eyes flickering with a mixture of frustration and sorrow. He hesitated for a moment, then shook his head slowly. “I’m not leaving without explaining everything, Zane. You deserve to know the truth. All of it.”Zane’s fists curled into fists, his entire frame vibrating with
The room fell into a heavy silence once more, each of us lost in our own thoughts. Outside, the wind’s howling seemed to soften just a bit, as if the storm itself was listening, waiting for our next move.I glanced around at the others—Zane’s jaw still clenched, Carolina’s eyes sharp with suspicion
The silence stretched long after Craig’s words hung in the air, thick with unspoken questions and lingering doubt. Outside, the wind howled against the windows, as if echoing the storm brewing within us all. I could feel Zane’s jaw tighten, his fists still clenched at his sides, while Craig’s stead







