LOGINTHIRD PERSON’s POV A fire was crackling in the stone hearth.Aiden sat in a high-backed leather chair. He was staring into the orange flames. He did not look like a proud Alpha. He looked like a man who was starving to death."Drink," Liam said as he set the heavy crystal glass on the table next to Aiden.Aiden did not move. He kept his eyes locked on the fire.The alliance between them was still fragile. For weeks, they were circling each other like stray dogs. It started exactly three weeks ago, while a neutral pack was hosting a winter soiree. The party was a miserable, suffocating display of political wealth. Crystal chandeliers were gleaming. A string quartet was playing in the corner. Liam was standing near the bar, nursing his bruised ego and plotting against the north.Then, he saw Aiden.Aiden was standing on the opposite side of the ballroom. He was not talking to the other delegates. He was watching Nora.Nora was wearing a deep emerald gown. She was laughing at something
THIRD PERSON’s POV "This is a catastrophic mistake." General Gideon slammed his thick hand flat against the tactical map."We already made the decision." Kai did not look up from the blueprints of the lumber mill."Alpha, please listen to reason." Gideon pointed a finger at the red circle on the paper. "You are trading the Queen for the heir. We do not negotiate with rogue mercenaries. It sets a dangerous precedent. It makes the crown look weak.""I do not care about the crown." Nora stood at the opposite end of the table. "I care about my son.""You will not survive this exchange, Queen Nora." Gideon turned his attention directly to her. "These men took a child from a fortified castle. They are professionals. They will not just hand the boy over and let you walk inside to chat. They will put a bullet in your head the second they have you secure.""Then you breach the building before they pull the trigger," Nora replied."It is not that simple." Gideon sighed heavily. "This old mill
THIRD PERSON’s POV "This is a catastrophic mistake." General Gideon slammed his thick hand flat against the tactical map."We already made the decision." Kai did not look up from the blueprints of the lumber mill."Alpha, please listen to reason." Gideon pointed a finger at the red circle on the paper. "You are trading the Queen for the heir. We do not negotiate with rogue mercenaries. It sets a dangerous precedent. It makes the crown look weak.""I do not care about the crown." Nora stood at the opposite end of the table. "I care about my son.""You will not survive this exchange, Queen Nora." Gideon turned his attention directly to her. "These men took a child from a fortified castle. They are professionals. They will not just hand the boy over and let you walk inside to chat. They will put a bullet in your head the second they have you secure.""Then you breach the building before they pull the trigger," Nora replied."It is not that simple." Gideon sighed heavily. "This old mill
THIRD PERSON’s POV Vibrations rattled the burner phone against the smooth oak table.Everyone in the war room completely froze. Kai stared at the black plastic device. Halil gripped the edge of the communications console. Standing near the blazing fireplace, Nora stopped breathing entirely.Kai snatched the phone and hit the speaker button. "I want to hear him.""You don't get to make demands, Alpha," the distorted, mechanical voice crackled through the speaker. "Listen very closely. We have a new proposition.""A proposition?" Kai sneered. "Name your price.""We don't want your treasury," the voice replied smoothly. "We want the Queen. We are offering a straight trade. Nora for the boy."Total silence filled the massive room.Kai’s jaw locked. "What did you just say?""Bring her to the designated drop point. She walks to us, the boy walks to you. If she refuses, we execute him. If you try to ambush the exchange, we execute him.""You are dead," Halil said softly. He stepped closer t
Third person’s POV "You are late, Thorne," Liam rasped, his voice sounding like crushed gravel.Pulling his hood back, the disgraced former Blackcrest captain wiped cold rain from his face. Thorne looked absolutely terrified. Dark circles bagged his eyes. His hands shook as he stepped away from the door and approached the hospital bed."Getting past the capital guards wasn't easy," Thorne muttered, keeping his voice low. "This hospital is crawling with High Council enforcers. If they catch me in here, we are both dead.""They aren't looking for you." Liam offered a stiff, arrogant smile that didn't reach his eyes. "They are looking for Nora's dirty secrets. Relax.""Relax?" Thorne snapped, gripping the metal bedrail. "Are you completely insane? Kai and Halil are tearing the entire northern valley apart right now! They are slaughtering rogues by the dozen looking for that kid!""Good," Liam wheezed, enjoying the mental image. "Let them waste their energy digging through the snow.""It
THIRD PERSON’s POV He went out on a mission that night.Gripping the steering wheel, Halil navigated the treacherous, washed-out dirt road leading directly into Rust Valley.This pack was completely neutral. It sat right on the edge of the southern border, functioning as a filthy haven for smugglers, rogues, and black-market dealers. Nobody asked questions here. Nobody cared about royal titles.Parking the heavy vehicle behind a dilapidated tavern, Halil killed the engine.Stepping out into the freezing mud, he pulled the collar of his dark coat up to shield his face. Water dripped steadily from the rusted gutters. Walking past two massive, heavily scarred bouncers guarding the tavern's back door, he didn't even slow down. His lethal, predatory aura forced the men to step completely out of his path.Heading straight for a narrow alleyway behind the bar, Halil found a heavily reinforced steel door. It had absolutely no handle. A small camera with a red blinking light sat mounted high
AIDEN’S POV I did the right thing. I was sure of it. Nora was no good. She couldn’t even bear me a pup, not even a female. Her body was frail, and clearly cannot carry my seed. I tightened my grip around my pen, as I scribbled some words onto the document, my heart in a completely different place
KAI’S POV You’ve got to be kidding me. A stray. A fucking stray that had tinges of rejection all over her. To make it worse, she was wolfless. My eyes hovered all over her, and my heart boiled with a mixture of disgust. Why on earth would the moon goddess think she could link us to a stray as a s
HALIL’S POV I clenched my hand around the edge of the Ebony table, as surges of electric current splintered through my chest. Fucking hell! A devilish smirk lined the corner of my lips. “This might just be our chance at easing the grief.” I spat. Kai grunted, and didn’t say a word. My Gamma Chi
NORA’S POV I was stunned to my bones, too stunned to move. I gaped as the drama unfolded around me. My heart bled like someone was ripping it out of its cage. For a few minutes, I couldn’t wrap my head around what was happening. The world was spinning around me, and everyone seemed to be okay. I







