LOGINNORA’S POVPressing my spine hard against the cold plaster wall, I held my breath.Hiding inside a cramped supply alcove just down the hall from the ICU, I peaked through a narrow gap between a stack of sterile towel boxes. I hadn't left the medical wing. After Emrys dismissed my claim that Kai moved his finger, she went to find Halil. Now, the entire hallway was an absolute war zone."Do not lie to us, Halil!" Elder Rossi’s voice boomed down the corridor, dripping with pure panic and rage. "My nephew works in the blood bank! He said the King flatlined on the table! He is on a damn ventilator!""Keep your voice down, Rossi," Halil growled, his tone vibrating with lethal warning.Looking through the gap, I saw Halil standing like a massive stone wall in front of Kai’s room. He had finally put on a clean black shirt, but his eyes were bloodshot and completely wild. Grandma Emrys stood right beside him, leaning heavily on her silver cane to face down five furious council members."We hav
NORA’S POV Sprinting down the main corridor, my oversized shirt flapped around my thighs. Panic squeezed my throat so tightly I could barely draw a full breath. The guard at Kai’s door had just told me the twins went to the western boundary. They were walking straight into the slaughterhouse from my nightmare, and they had absolutely no idea.Rounding the final corner, the massive iron front doors of the Packhouse came into view."Stop right there!" a deep voice barked.Two heavily armored enforcers stepped directly in front of the exit. They lowered their silver-laced rifles, blocking the heavy brass handles completely."Let me out!" I screamed, not slowing down until I was inches from their weapons. "I need to get to the western boundary right now!""Are you out of your damn mind?" the guard on the left grunted, looking at me like I was a rabid dog. "Nobody leaves the Packhouse after dark. It is a direct order from the Kings.""The Alphas are walking into a trap!" I pleaded, grabbi
THIRD PERSON’S POV Slapping a metal tool into his hand, a nurse wiped sweat from the doctor's forehead."Pressure is bottoming out!" the anesthesiologist warned from the head of the table. "Sixty over forty. Fifty over thirty. He is crashing, Doctor!""Push epinephrine!" Aris shouted, desperately trying to stitch the torn pulmonary artery together. "Come on, Kai. Fight it. Let your wolf do the heavy lifting!"But Kai’s wolf was silent. The beast's claws had done something unnatural, poisoning the Lycan’s innate ability to heal.Suddenly, the rapid, frantic beeping of the heart monitor shifted. It slowed down into three sluggish, heavy thuds.Beep... Beep... Beep...Then, one long, continuous, terrifying tone pierced the quiet room.BEEEEEEEEEEEP."He flatlined!" the anesthesiologist screamed. "We lost the pulse!""Start compressions!" Aris roared, dropping his tools entirely.A nurse jumped onto a step stool, locking her hands over Kai’s shattered sternum. She pushed down hard, despe
THIRD PERSON’S POVHot blood gushed relentlessly through Halil’s fingers.Kneeling, Halil pressed his full body weight down on Kai’s shattered chest. The jagged, exposed edges of his brother's ribs scraped violently against Halil's bare palms, but he didn't care about the pain. He only cared about the pool of blood expanding across the wet gravel."Medic!" Halil roared again, his voice cracking with pure, unhinged desperation. "Where the fuck is the medic?"Running blindly through the thick fog, a young field medic named Hayes skidded to a halt beside them. He dropped his heavy green trauma bag into the mud. Ripping the zipper open, Hayes pulled out a thick stack of sterile combat gauze."Move your hands, Alpha!" Hayes shouted, trying to wedge himself closer to the wound."If I move my hands, he bleeds out!" Halil yelled back, his golden eyes wide with panic."I have to pack the cavity!" Hayes insisted, shoving Halil's thick arms aside.Looking down at the horrific injury, all the col
KAI’S POV KAI"They are completely blind out there!" Gideon’s voice echoed loudly through the SUV speakers.Tires spinning aggressively in the wet mud, Halil kept his foot slammed on the gas pedal. I sat in the passenger seat, my heart hammering violently against my ribs."ETA is two minutes," Halil barked into the dashboard comms. "Tell the backup units to flank the eastern ridge. Nobody moves until we hit the front line.""Understood, Alpha," Gideon replied before the line clicked shut.Adrenaline flooded my veins like liquid fire. My inner wolf paced frantically, clawing at my chest, completely desperate to get out. Staring out the windshield, the thick gray fog swallowed the headlights. We were driving entirely blind.Slamming the brakes, the heavy armored SUV skidded sideways into the gravel parking lot of the western checkpoint.Kicking my door open, I leaped out into the freezing cold.Dozens of foot soldiers were already there. They stood in human form, holding heavy assault
NORA’S POVI needed answers. And that quest led me to Emrys the next morning once I was out of the dining room.Pushing the heavy glass doors open, warm air from the sunroom hit my face.Grandma Emrys sat in her usual velvet chair, staring blankly out the window at the gray morning sky. She didn't look angry today. She just looked incredibly old and deeply exhausted. Gripping the doorframe, I hesitated for a second before stepping inside."Emrys?"Turning her head slowly, the old Queen offered a weak smile. "Come in, Nora. Sit down. You look like you haven't slept in a week."Sitting on the edge of the opposite sofa, I rubbed my tired eyes. "I haven't. But that isn't why I am here. I need to ask you something about Chloe.""The Thorne girl?" Emrys frowned, adjusting her grip on her silver cane. "What about her?""Do you know why her brother dragged her here yesterday?" I asked, leaning forward eagerly. "Preston looked like he had been beaten half to death. He pulled her into a private
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
NORA’S POV “Don’t worry, there’ll be no need for that anyway.” I pulled away, as the maid tried to cover the scar on my face with makeup. The maid didn’t say anything, yet the glaring question was all over her face. A soft knock sounded against the door, “I’ll take it up from here, you may leav
NORA’S POV My heart stomped against my chest as I made my way to the lavish waiting area that led to Alpha Aiden’s office. I grabbed my clutch in one hand, my other hand trembled lightly. His secretary walked out of his office, her expression inscrutable. “He’s busy…” Her voice came out indiffere







