LOGINJolie pov I'm in the middle of reviewing facility extraction reports when Knox comes to the command center looking tense. "We've got incoming." He jerks his thumb toward the compound entrance. "Official Council delegation. Three vehicles, armed escort, and Councilor Ironwood himself."My stomach drops. "Armed escort?""Just for show, probably." Knox reassures me. "They requested formal entry and promised no hostile action. But Ryder's already mobilizing defensive positions just in case."I find Ryder at the main gate, watching the approaching convoy with narrowed eyes. His protective instincts are on high alert—I can feel it through the bond. "What do they want?" I move to his side."Nothing good." He doesn't take his eyes off the vehicles. "The Council doesn't send delegations for friendly visits."The convoy stops at a respectful distance from our territory line. A tall, angular man emerges from the center vehicle, flanked by two Council representatives I don't recognize. They're a
Jolie pov The first healing session with Elena is brutal.Not because she resists—conditioned wolves don't have enough emotional capacity for resistance—but because watching Mara witness her sister's complete emptiness is heartbreaking."Tell me about your childhood." I start gently, my moonfire connecting with Elena's damaged neural pathways. "What do you remember about growing up?"Elena's response is mechanical. "I have memories of a residence, two parental figures, and a sibling. They are catalogued appropriately.""Catalogued." Mara's voice breaks. "Elena, we used to build forts in the backyard. We'd stay up all night telling ghost stories. You were terrified of thunderstorms and I'd hold you until they passed."Elena looks at her sister with polite confusion. "Those memories exist in my recall, but they do not generate emotional response. Is that incorrect?""Yes." I keep my voice gentle. "That's incorrect. Those memories should make you feel happy, or nostalgic, or connected t
Jolie pov I'm in the garden with Celeste, teaching her to identify herbs for Doc's medical supplies, when Knox comes running across the compound."We've got a visitor at the north perimeter." He's breathing hard. "You're going to want to see this.""Who is it?" I stand, brushing dirt from my hands."Mara." He says the name with surprise. "She looks rough. Been traveling hard for weeks from the look of her."My heart jumps. Mara left few months ago after hearing rumors about her family, chasing down leads about a sister she thought died years ago. I've been worried about her ever since, wondering if she was safe, if she'd found what she was looking for."Is she okay?" I'm already moving toward the perimeter."She's alive." Knox keeps pace beside me. "But she looks like she's been through hell."Celeste follows without asking permission. She knows how much Mara means to me, how close we became before she left on this desperate search.When I see her at the fence, my worst fears are conf
Ryder pov "I should be there." She insists. "Those captives will be traumatized, terrified. My empathy gift could help calm them, make the extraction smoother.""Or you could be here, fully rested, ready to start healing them the moment they arrive." I counter. "Let us bring them to you instead of draining yourself further trying to do everything."She wants to argue—I feel it through the bond. But she's too tired to fight effectively, and part of her knows I'm right. The divine part that wants to save everyone is warring with the human part that recognizes her own limitations."Fine." She finally concedes. "I'll stay here for the raid. But if anything goes wrong""Then we handle it." I assure her. "We're not helpless without you, Jolie. The pack is strong, our fighters are trained, and we've got solid intelligence on the facility layout. We can do this.""I know you can." She sighs. "I just hate feeling useless.""You're not useless." I tilt her chin up so she meets my eyes. "You're
Ryder pov I watch Jolie collapse after her third healing session of the day and feel completely useless.She catches herself against the wall, light flickering weakly beneath her skin like a dying star. Her empathy gift has been running constantly for six hours—emotional assessments, neural pathway rebuilding, trauma processing. She's given everything she has to helping broken wolves become whole again.And I can't do a damn thing to help."I'm fine." She straightens, forcing a smile that doesn't reach her exhausted eyes. "Just need a minute.""You need twelve hours of sleep." I move to her side, offering support she's too stubborn to accept. "And probably three full meals. When's the last time you ate?"She actually has to think about it. "Breakfast?""It's six in the evening." I steer her toward our cabin despite her protests. "You've been healing nonstop since dawn. Your body needs fuel, Jolie.""Daniel is making real progress." She lets me guide her, too tired to fight. "His emot
Jolie pov "I remember what worked for me." She shrugs, but I can see pride in her expression—an emotion she couldn't have felt months ago. "What made me feel safe versus what scared me. If I can help these healers avoid mistakes, maybe their patients will recover faster."The first conditioned wolf to accept treatment arrives on a cold Tuesday morning. Daniel Morris looks terrified when Knox escorts him into the medical bay, his eyes darting around like he expects Council enforcers to burst through the walls."You're safe here." I keep my voice gentle, my moonfire dimmed so I don't overwhelm him. "I'm Jolie. We've been writing to each other.""I know who you are." His voice is flat, emotionless in the way I've come to recognize. "The Moonfire Luna who broke the Council. Who exposed the wedding, who healed Celeste Whitmore.""That's me." I gesture to a chair. "Want to sit?"He sits mechanically, posture perfect and controlled. I can see the conditioning in every movement—no wasted mot







