LOGINLisa's POVAva's eyes widened, she looked genuinely shocked.The spoon slipped from her fingers and clattered softly against the plate. "What?" she asked again.I swallowed. My throat suddenly felt dry. "I said Derek killed Alpha Alex."Ava stared at me for several seconds. The crackling fire behind us seemed louder than before.Finally she leaned back in her chair. "No."I nodded. "Yes.""No," Ava repeated. "Klaus's brother Alex?""Yes." I nodded again.Ava exhaled sharply. "That changes everything.""That's what I've been trying to tell you." Ava got up from her chair and started pacing.I could practically see the calculations happening behind her eyes.Everything suddenly looked much more complicated. "Klaus never mentioned that in his letters.""Why would he?" I asked.Ava stopped pacing. "Because it's important.""Or because he wants your help badly enough that he left certain details out."Ava finally sat down again. "If Klaus arrives and finds Derek here...""He'll try to kill
Lisa's POVHe's feeding on the livers of gorillas. He has killed several already," Ava said slowly.I swallowed hard. For a second, my mind went blank. Then relief washed through me. At least he was killing animals. Not humans.That would have been much worse. I let out a breath I hadn't realized I was holding.Ava noticed."You seem relieved.""I am."She tilted her head. "Most people would be horrified."I shrugged."Trust me, there are worse things Derek could be hunting."Ava studied me carefully. The firelight danced across her pale face. "Is that what he feeds on?""Who?""Derek."I frowned. "Uhm..." The truth was I didn't know.I had seen Derek do many strange things.Kill rogues. Rip apart monsters. Fight impossible battles. Survive wounds that should have killed him.But feeding on fresh animal organs? I had never seen that."I've never seen him feed on animals," I admitted. "In fact, I don't think I've ever seen him eat anything with fresh blood."Ava looked surprised. "That's
Lisa's POV"That's a question," he said slowly, "I'm hoping I never have to answer.""You have to deal with that instead," I said, looking at him across the room. "Instead of worrying about your brother." For a moment, Derek didn't respond. He just sat there staring into the flames as though he could find answers hidden inside them.Then he nodded once. "That's very true." I relaxed slightly.Then he looked at me. "Tomorrow, I would start training you."I blinked. "What?""Tomorrow," he repeated. "I would start training you."I raised an eyebrow. "This isn't about me.""Alright." He leaned back casually. "Will you stay behind while I go to war?"I shook my head immediately. "Hell no."Derek nodded. "Then it is about you. I don't want you fighting like a chicken beside me. So training begins tomorrow."I scoffed. "Fighting like a chicken? I remember saving your life."A faint smile appeared on his face. "Against rogues, I remember. I was weak. But rogues aren't trained warriors. The h
Lisa's POV"As soon as the war begins," Ava said calmly, looking around the table, "Bloodshot Pack is going to know. So it's best we inform them that their long-lost prince is alive and fighting for Silverfang. That way, they wouldn't try to attack us while we're busy fighting the hybrids."Several elders nodded. One even muttered, "A smart precaution."I immediately shook my head. "I don't think that's a good idea."The room turned toward me. Derek remained silent. But I knew that silence. I knew exactly what he was thinking. The idea was terrible.Rasha, however, seemed to like it. "For once," she said, "I agree with Ava."The elders nodded in approval. "It's a good course of action.""It removes one threat.""It buys us time."I felt frustration building in my chest. "If you do that," I said, "you'll be inviting a whole lot of trouble into your territory."Ava raised an eyebrow. "Apart from the hybrids and Bloodshot, I don't see any other trouble to deal with."I swallowed. Because
Lisa's POVFor a second, nobody spoke. Then Rasha laughed. It wasn't a pleasant laugh.It was the kind of laugh people made when they heard something so ridiculous they didn't know whether to be angry or amused. "You truly are insane," she said.Derek leaned back comfortably in his chair. "Yet somehow I'm still the strongest person in this room."Rasha's fingers tightened against the armrest. I recognized the dangerous look in her eyes. She was seconds away from exploding again.One of the elders quickly cleared his throat."Derek," the old man said carefully, "surely you don't expect us to hand command of our warriors to a stranger.""A stranger?" Derek asked. The elder nodded.Derek looked around the room. "I know more about warfare than everyone here combined."The room grew quiet. Rasha scoffed. "There it is again.""What?""The arrogance."Derek shrugged. "It isn't arrogance if it's true."I pressed my lips together. Somehow he always managed to say the most infuriating thing pos
Lisa's POVBy the time Derek and I arrived at the meeting hall, everyone was already gathered.The atmosphere felt noticeably different from before.Earlier, the room had nearly turned into a battlefield. Now, despite the tension hanging in the air, everyone seemed determined to at least pretend to be civilized.Rasha sat at the head of the round table. The elders occupied their usual seats around her.Ava sat quietly on one side, her expression calm and unreadable as always.The moment she saw me enter, she gestured toward the empty seat beside her. "Lisa." I nodded politely and walked over.As I sat down, Ava extended her hand toward Derek, indicating the empty chair beside mine.For a second, I thought he would refuse. Derek looked at the chair. Then at Ava. Then at the chair again. Finally, after what felt like an eternity, he sat down.The elders visibly relaxed. Apparently, getting Derek to sit down without threatening somebody counted as progress.Rasha cleared her throat. Ever
Lisa's POVThe journey into the woods didn't seem to end. My legs screamed with every step, muscles burning from hours of running. Beside me, Derek’s breaths came in fast bursts. The rut was catching up with him, I could see it in the tension of his shoulders, the way his
Lisa's POVI stood in the dark cell, my heart pounding against my ribs. Sweat gathered on my forehead as I swallowed the lump in my throat."Derek?" I called softly, pressing a trembling hand against the cold iron gate. "Please… don’t hurt me."A low, snarl erupted from t
Lisa's POVI could barely take my eyes off the man who emerged victorious, my body trembling with fear of what was to come."fascinating, isn’t it?" Cole’s voice snapped me out of my thoughts. I bit hard on my lips, swallowing the sobs threatening to escape as I turned
Lisa's POVHot tears streamed down my face, and I could still feel my half-wolf, even though I couldn’t change or control her. I snarled out, “Just kill me and get it over with.”"Kill you?" Cole chuckled, "What I'm going to do to you, will be worse than death," he said, as he move







