André’s POVThe moon veiled itself behind thick, rolling clouds, plunging the world into a silvery-black shadow the exact cover we needed.We moved like whispers across the forested border, shadows among shadows. Our breath was low, steady. No words. Only signals, flicks of fingers and nods of heads. The bond between my men and I didn’t require sound. It was forged in blood and fire, tested in wars far worse than this but none as personal.Retrieve Tex. Leave no trace.That was the mission. That was the oath.I led them forward, the rough texture of the hand-drawn map etched into my mind’s eye. I remembered everything every thorn-wrapped tree, every bend in the cliffs, every silent slope behind the Angelic Moon Packhouse. This forest had once known my laughter. My footsteps in training. Now it knew the weight of my vengeance, the silence of a ghost who had returned to take back what was his.We reached the first wall one of many invisible defenses wrapped around the estate.Two guards
André’s POVThe war room was quiet too quiet.Only the soft crackling of the hearth filled the silence as I stood before the massive oak table at the center of the chamber. A map sprawled across its surface like an open wound, veins of ink and pins slicing across territories, alliances, and threats. Lines meant to contain power. Pins meant to mark danger. Borders meant to keep war at bay.But none of it mattered. None of it could hold my attention.Because my eyes kept drifting again and again to a single black dot on the far eastern edge of the parchment.Angelic Moon Pack.The ink there bled more than the others. Maybe it was my imagination. Maybe it was prophecy.That’s where they were keeping him.Where he was suffering.Tex.Xander stood across from me, arms folded tightly over his chest, his posture radiating barely-contained rage. He looked like a man fighting a storm within his jaw was tense, his breath shallow. His eyes didn’t blink much these days, as if he feared he’d miss
Theo’s POVThe cell door slammed shut with the deafening finality of thunder cracking through stone, the sound reverberating across the cold, cavernous chamber like the toll of a death knell. Dust stirred from the corners, disturbed by the force of metal grinding against metal. I watched impassively as the guards shoved Tex back into the cell.He stumbled his legs barely holding him before crumpling to his knees like a broken marionette. His shirt was torn down the side, stained with dirt, sweat, and a fresh streak of blood that dripped from a split in his cheek. The fire in his eyes had dimmed, replaced by something quieter. Not submission not yet but fatigue. A hard lesson learned the painful way.He wasn’t the cocky little upstart anymore. He looked younger now. Smaller. Worn thin by pain and consequence.Good.“Leave us,” I ordered, my voice a cold blade in the silence.The guards didn’t speak. They knew better than to ask questions. With obedient nods, they stepped back, boots cr
Genevieve’s POVI didn’t make it far.The wind tore through the trees like a feral beast, shrieking between the branches as I ran toward the southern border. My cloak snapped behind me, soaked with mist and fury. The night was bitter, the ground uneven beneath my bare feet, but I didn’t feel any of it. All I could feel was him. Tex. My little brother. Alone. Imprisoned. Taken because of me.The cold night air burned in my lungs as I pushed harder through the forest. Branches clawed at my arms and cheeks, leaving angry welts, but I didn’t slow. My vision was blurred, not by the dark but by rage. Grief. Guilt.Then “Genevieve!”His voice. Sharp as lightning cracking through the sky.I didn’t stop. I couldn’t. Not when my heart was being torn apart with every step I took toward the border. Toward danger. Toward Theo.But I didn’t get far. Before I could cross the line between safety and madness, arms came around me strong, immovable, like steel and fire. I screamed, flailing, but he woul
Genevieve’s POV The hallway stretched before me like a quiet tunnel of dread, cloaked in flickering half-light. The sconces on the stone walls burned low, casting trembling shadows that danced along the corridors. I moved silently, barefoot, the chilled marble biting at my skin as I clutched the warm porcelain cup of tea between my hands. I hadn’t even taken a sip. I’d gone down to the kitchen hoping for something anything to quiet the strange, hollow ache that pulsed inside my chest like a bruise I couldn’t touch.But just as I rounded the corner near André’s study, I froze.Voices low and urgent drifted through the heavy oak door, muffled by thick walls but clear enough to twist the breath from my lungs. “And we’re sure it’s him?” Xander’s voice. Tight. Serious.“The guards at Angelic Moon confirmed it?”A pause. Then André’s voice calmer, but heavy with something that made my stomach twist. “Yes. It’s Tex. He’s alive, but barely. They’re keeping him locked away. Theo’s using him
Tex’s POVThe collar lay at my feet like a coiled viper silent, gleaming, patient. It didn’t move, didn’t hiss or strike, but its presence wrapped around my throat all the same.I don't know if this was a warning or a threat or a test, I don't know what Alpha Theo was playing at or what he plans on gaining from this.Theo stood a few feet away, arms crossed over his chest. His eyes locked on me with cold precision, like a man sizing up a broken horse to see if it could be broken further. Gone was the usual smirk, the arrogant calm he wore like a second skin. Now, there was only ice flat, impassive, and chilling.Silence filled the room like thick fog, pressing in on all sides. I didn't speak or move, I won't give him that satisfaction, he would never see me break.His voice cut through the stillness like a scalpel.“I said put it on.” Calm, sharp, deliberate. Like a knife dragged across skin, slow enough to sting.I met his gaze, spine rigid despite the tremor in my limbs. My heart ha