LOGINSEVENThe territory erupted before I even had time to understand how quickly Mikka's plan had worked. Wolves poured out from the different paths around the main grounds, some carrying weapons, others shifting halfway as they ran, their growls mixing with angry voices and the sound of feet striking the earth. For the first time since I had returned to my father's territory, I was not looking at a group of wolves waiting to see whether I was worthy of their respect. They were moving with purpose, and many of them were moving toward me. I stood at the front with my wolf pushing against my skin, but I knew I was not the one controlling this battlefield alone.Mikka was behind the first line of fighters, moving from one group to another with two trusted wolves beside her. She did not carry a weapon, yet she looked more dangerous than some of the wolves holding blades because she was watching everything. Her eyes moved across the grounds, counting numbers, checking positions, and noticing e
MIKKAThe sound of the growl behind us still echoed through the passage when I realized that everyone was looking at me. Seven stood beside me, tense and ready to fight, while his father watched with the tired but sharp eyes of someone who had survived too many battles. My heart was beating hard, but it was not fear that made my hands shake anymore. It was anger. I was tired of hearing people talk about me—and now, my bloodline—as if it belonged to them, and as if I had suddenly become some prize that powerful wolves could fight over just because I had fallen in love with Seven.“I am not hiding,” I said.Seven turned toward me.“Mikka, we don't know how many wolves are out there.”“I know.”“They could be waiting for us.”“I know that too.”His eyes narrowed, and I could see the worry behind his anger.“Then you understand why I want to get you out of here.”I stepped closer to him, lowering my voice so his father could hear me too.“And where would you take me, Seven? Somewhere they
SEVENI looked at him, then at Mikka, and the words he had said continued to ring in my ears. Your mate carries something they need. I still could not understand what that meant, and the thought of someone wanting Mikka for something she did not even know she had filled me with a kind of anger that made my hands shake. I stepped closer to my father, lowering my voice because I did not want the wolves outside to hear us.“What does Mikka carry?” I asked. “What exactly are you talking about?”My father looked at Mikka for a long moment before his eyes returned to me. There was something in his expression that made my stomach tighten because he looked less like the powerful Alpha I had imagined growing up and more like a father who was terrified that his son had just walked into the same danger that had destroyed his family. He slowly lowered himself against the wall, breathing hard, and Mikka immediately noticed how weak he was.“It’s not an object,” he said. “And it’s not something she
MIKKAThe passage beneath Blackridge was colder than I expected, and the farther Seven and I walked, the more I felt as though we were leaving the world we knew behind. The stone walls were damp, covered in strange marks that looked older than the territory above us, while the weak light from the torches barely showed what was ahead. Seven walked in front of me, but he kept looking back every few seconds to make sure I was still there. Neither of us spoke much because the silence around us felt wrong, almost like the mountain itself was listening.“Do you feel him?” I whispered.Seven stopped for a moment.“I don't know,” he admitted. “But my wolf does.”I moved closer to him, keeping one hand against his back as we continued. His body was tense, and I could feel how badly he wanted to move faster, but he was forcing himself to be careful. We had already learned that rushing into danger could cost us everything, and this time the stakes were even higher because somewhere ahead was the
SEVENAs soon as we stepped outside, the first enemy wolf came charging for Mikka before I could even think, and something inside me snapped. I had spent weeks fighting my wolf, afraid of what would happen if I gave it too much control, but this time there was no hesitation. Mikka was in danger, and my body reacted before my mind could catch up. I felt the change rush through me, but instead of pain and confusion, there was a strange sense of peace. My bones shifted, my muscles tightened and dark fur spread across my skin until the world around me changed completely.The sounds became sharper, the smells stronger and every movement around me seemed slow. I could hear Mikka's heartbeat behind me, the footsteps of the wolves rushing toward us and even the wind moving through the trees. My wolf wasn't screaming for control anymore. It was working with me. I could feel its strength beneath my thoughts, but I was still there, still aware of who I was and what I needed to protect. Then the
MIKKAThe moment we returned to our room, Seven looked like he wanted to leave for Blackridge immediately. He was already reaching for his jacket before I could even put the maps on the table, his face tight with the kind of determination that told me he had already made the decision in his head. I understood why he wanted to go, because for the first time in his life, his father was no longer a memory or an old photograph. He was alive, trapped somewhere beneath Blackridge, and every minute we spent planning felt like another minute that man had to wait. But I stepped in front of the door before Seven could reach it, because saving his father would mean nothing if we rushed into a trap and never came back."You can't just walk into Blackridge."Seven stopped and looked at me. "Mikka, he's my father.""I know.""Then you understand why I can't sit here."I walked toward the table and spread the maps across it. "I'm not asking you to sit here forever. I'm asking you to think before you







