LOGINZane’s POV
“So, Tristan joins the afternoon session. That’s settled.”
Patience, I thought, watching Commander Victor nod. Just finish the boring stuff. My wolf and I had a plan. I needed Lydia to make a scene, and I needed to kick her out. Simple. The clock was ticking, and Mabel was right there.
Victor didn't look done. He cleared his throat. “Alpha Gregory instructed me to escort Miss Lydia everywhere until the security protocols are set.”
I narrowed my eyes. Gregory hadn’t mentioned that detail. Lydia frowned, too. Her father only said Victor was supposed to ensure she arrived safely. Now he’s a bodyguard?
I considered it for a moment. “We have patrols running constantly. I don’t share specifics, but the packhouse is secure. You can see none of us use extra security detail.” I gestured vaguely at
Zane and Mabel’s POV“You’re still here. I thought maybe I dreamed the mark.”I stretched slowly, feeling the pull across my shoulders. The sheets were tangled, cool against my skin. My neck—the mark was a faint, beautiful ache, a proof I couldn’t deny. My wolf was a solid, quiet presence inside me, no longer just a ghost or a weapon, but a partner.I opened my eyes. Zane was awake, watching me.“You’re wrong, Luna,” he murmured, his voice husky with sleep. He leaned in and kissed the base of my throat, right over the mark. “That brand is real. And so are you.”A massive wave of pure joy hit me, sharp and clean, synchronized perfectly with his breathing. I realized I was feeling his emotion. The pack’s mind-link was a constant, low hum, a soft bass line beneath my consciousness. I could hear them: the warriors on patrol, the cooks in the kitchen, the slow rhyt
Lydia’s POV“You disgrace us, Lydia. That’s what you did.”I woke to the dry, cold sound of my father, Alpha Gregory. My body was physically restored, the brutal pain of the severed mate bond replaced by a strange, cold clarity. I felt empty, but clean.I sat up in my bed in the Silverwood packhouse. The familiar scent of old money and wood polish felt suffocating. My father stood over me, his face a mask of cold fury. He was pacing, his usual arrogance replaced by a frantic desperation I had never seen.“Zane exposed us,” he hissed, his voice tight. “The Elders—Parker, Charlie—they are arrested. Zane’s political revenge is complete. He used the financial ledger, the one I told you was just a piece of paper.”I blinked, processing the information. Zane had acted faster and more ruthlessly than my father ever anticipated. He hadn't just rejected me; he had gutted my father’s pol
Zane’s POV“The Stonebrook Pack kneels before its Alpha... and its Luna.”The words were an absolute command, delivered by a woman who had just stopped a political coup with a look. I stood paralyzed, watching Mabel—my mate—tremble, her eyes shimmering with the last vestiges of that terrifying silver light. She was power. She was mine.I recovered instantly. The shock of her power was immediately overridden by the cold, clear logic of the Alpha. The chaos in the room was a gift.My gaze snapped to Elder Parker and Elder Charlie, who were still scrambled near the floor, paralyzed by fear.Tyler. Arrest Parker and Charlie. Charges: Treason. Conspiracy with Alpha Gregory to destabilize the Stonebrook pack. Now.My mind-link was cold, absolute. Tyler and Vivian moved before the
Mabel’s POV“You will not touch the Alpha of the Stonebrook Pack.”The words tore out of me, amplified by a roaring heat that consumed my chest. My breath was ragged, and my entire body vibrated.I stood in the wreckage of the Review Chamber, watching the chaos unfold. Lydia’s calculated shriek—Alpha Zane is unsuitable to lead! I cannot be tied to a murderer!—had stunned everyone. Now the Elders, their faces contorted with self-righteous shock, were rallying around her.I saw Zane frozen, caught in the perfect, devastating trap. He had won the political fight with the ledger, but Lydia’s public betrayal had given the Council the emotional justification they needed.Then I saw Victor. He stood by the door, no longer the loyal Commander. His eyes were cold, tactical, fixed on Lydia’s pe
Zane’s POV“He said you were setting me up. What did he mean?”Mabel’s voice was quiet, but it tore through my tactical focus. We were alone in the study, just minutes before the Elder Review. I stood there, adjusting the cuffs of my suit jacket, while Tyler secured the digital link for the ledger.I walked to her, pulling her against the desk. Her eyes were searching, demanding answers I didn't want to give. Victor had won the first round of psychological warfare. His warning had landed perfectly.“Victor is playing a double game, kitten,” I admitted, my voice low. “He’s working to expose Gregory, but he doesn't trust anyone, especially me. He tried to turn you against me before I could trust you with the next stage of the plan.”“What next stage? You just rejected Lydia. What plan requires me to doubt you?”I looked at her, realizing my secrecy was my biggest vulnerability.
Lydia’s POV“You want me to tell Father everything, or will you accept that the alliance is broken?”I sat in the cold, neutral tones of the Stonebrook guest hall. My father, Alpha Gregory, and the other Silverwood guards had left hours ago, convinced I was settling in for political talks. I was playing the part of the grieving, but accepting, fiancée. My mind was sharp, analyzing every move.Victor approached, his footsteps silent on the thick carpet. He was my tactical enemy, my rejected mate, and now my co-conspirator. He slid into the armchair opposite me, his Commander uniform a sharp contrast to the soft cushions.“The rejection is complete, Lydia. The bond is severed. You are free of the pain,” Victor confirmed, his eyes fixed on me.I felt the strange, heady pull of true independence for the firs







