LOGINTotal silence dominated the atmosphere.
The words seemed to hang over the courtyard like a curse.“The body is gone.”Savannah stared at the bloodied Sentinel as though she hadn't understood him.
Noah's grave!. Empty.Gone.That wasn't possible.Noah was dead. She had buried him herself. She had held the tiny wooden coffin while Dominic lowered it into the ground. She had placed the black ribbon around his wrist
The twelve hooded figures remained kneeling in the mist, skeletal hands pressed against the ancient earth.The howl still echoed through the valley. And Grayson stood at the center of it all. Mason recovered first."Defensive positions!"Weapons came up instantly.Nothing happened.The Mourning Guard neither moved nor acknowledged the wolves surrounding them. Their attention remained fixed entirely on Grayson. Savannah stepped closer to him."Grayson."He didn't answer. Something inside him felt strange. Not dangerous, somehow familiar.Like hearing a voice he should recognize but couldn't quite remember. The lead guardian spoke again."Blood of Ardyn."Its voice sounded like stone grinding against stone."You have returned."Mason stepped forward."Who are you?"The hood turned toward him."We are the Mourning Guard.""We have waited."Lucas looked terrified."The stories said you died.""We did."No emotion.No hesitation."We continue still."Damon muttered, "I officially hate this
The camp had been erected quickly along the northern edge of the Ashen Pass. Fires burned low. Sentinels stood watch in rotating shifts. Horses remained restless, snorting nervously whenever the wind shifted.The valley itself felt wrong. Savannah couldn't explain it any better than that.Wrong. The mist never fully lifted. The silence never felt natural.And every few minutes, someone would swear they had seen movement among the ancient stone markers. Nobody laughed anymore. Not after the children.Savannah sat beside the fire wrapped in a heavy cloak, staring into the flames. Grayson sat across from her. Neither spoke. They hadn't spoken much since entering the Pass.The place demanded silence.Or perhaps fear did.A log shifted in the fire.Crack.Savannah jumped.Grayson noticed immediately."You should try sleeping."She shook her head."I won't.""You're exhausted.""So are you."
The wooden wolf sat in the center of the war room long after everyone else had left.Small. Worn smooth by tiny hands. A toy carved from cedar. A toy Savannah had buried with her son.And carved into its stomach were words that refused to leave anyone's mind.“HE CALLS ANOTHER MAN FATHER.”The message had done exactly what it was intended to do. It had shattered them completely. Grayson stood alone in the dark war room staring at the toy. He hadn't moved in nearly an hour.He couldn't.Because all he could think about was a little boy he had never known. A little boy who had grown up without him. A little boy who might still be alive. And according to whoever sent the message…That little boy had called someone else father.The door opened quietly. Grayson didn't turn."You should rest."Dominic.Grayson recognized the voice immediately."Not tired."Dominic walked farther
Grayson stood frozen at the head of the war table, staring at the childish handwriting scrawled across the parchment.“Daddy come.”Two words.That was all.Two tiny words written in uneven letters. Yet they carried enough force to bring an Alpha to his knees. Savannah felt the blood drain from her face."No."Another louder scream."No."Her voice cracked the second time.She crossed the room so quickly that her chair toppled behind her. Grayson didn't react when she took the parchment from his hands. But his entire body had gone rigid.Savannah stared.The handwriting.The crooked way the Y slanted too far left.The oversized D.The tiny moon was sketched beside the words. Her knees nearly gave out."Oh God."Vanessa caught her before she hit the floor. Savannah's fingers trembled violently."I taught him that."Silence swallowed the roo
The rain continued to pound the courtyard.Caius stood in the center of Reed Manor's grounds looking as though he'd just sentenced himself to death.Across from him, Grayson looked ready to tear the entire world apart."You buried Noah."The words came out dangerously soft.Caius nodded once."Yes."Savannah shook her head immediately."No."Her voice cracked."No, that's impossible."She stepped forward."You've never been here.""I know.""You never met Noah.""I know.""Then how could you possibly have buried my son?"Caius looked devastated."Because I was there."Silence.Nobody breathed.Dominic stepped in front of Savannah instinctively."Start talking."Caius looked toward Grayson."I'd rather explain this inside.""No."Grayson's silver eyes burned."You explain it now."Thunder rolled across the valley.Caius
Her scream still echoed through the courtyard long after the sound itself had died. The letter trembled in her hands.“Your son wakes tomorrow.”Four simple words.Four impossible words.Savannah read them again.Then again.The words never changed.Her knees gave out.Dominic caught her before she hit the ground."No."The word escaped her like a prayer."No."Grayson stood frozen.The entire courtyard had gone silent. Mason slowly took the letter from Savannah's shaking fingers. His eyes moved across the page.His expression hardened instantly."Get everyone inside," he ordered.Nobody moved."Now!.”Sentinels rushed into motion.Doors slammed.Warriors ran.Within minutes, the war room was filled up.No one sat.No one wanted to.Savannah stood near the fireplace wrapped in one of Vanessa's blankets. Dominic remain
When danger lived beyond the mountains, people could point to it. They could prepare for it. They could watch the roads and lock the gates. But when danger slipped inside your thoughts, inside your routines, inside your home.Everything changed.Three days had passed sin
Nobody spoke.The courtyard stood frozen beneath the afternoon sun. Even the wind seemed to disappear. Frank's words still lingered in the air."The night I took you... was the night they murdered your real family."Savannah stared at him.Mason stared at h
Reed Territory stayed awake that night. Not after the truck started moving. Not after Grayson identified the photographs. Not after the realization settled over everyone standing on the ridge.They weren't being watched by strangers. They were being watched by p
The valley pretended everything was normal. That was the problem.The sun still rose over the mountains. Children still ran through the town square. Farmers still argued over livestock. Merchants still opened their shops every morning. Life continued exactly as it always had.







