LOGINMaya's POV Cold dread settles in my stomach in an instant. Whatever my father wants to discuss, it won't be good. He doesn't summon people to his office for pleasant conversations.He summons them to deliver judgments. To issue commands. To remind them of their place in the pack hierarchy.And right now, after what just happened in the arena, after I screamed and tried to rush to Knox's side in front of everyone, I'm not sure what kind of judgment is waiting for me.I force myself to move down the steps, through the crowd, toward the exit that leads to the pack house.Wolves move aside as I pass, their expressions a mixture of sympathy and curiosity. They know I've been summoned. They're probably wondering what punishment awaits.So am I.The walk to the pack house feels too short and too long at the same time. Each step brings me closer to facing my father. To whatever cold fury he's hiding behind that emotionless mask.I reach his office door. My hand hovers over the handle, trembl
Maya's POVI can't breathe. The arena is packed with wolves from every corner of our Pack, their voices rising and falling like waves. But I can't hear them. I can't focus on anything except my brother standing in the center of the stone floor.Knox looks so small down there. So breakable.I've never thought of him that way before. Knox has always been larger than life— the future Alpha, the protector, the one who kept me safe when our father's coldness became too much to bear.But now, watching him face Garrett without his wolf, he looks human. Vulnerable. Wrong.The trial begins and my hands grip the edge of my seat so hard my knuckles turn white.Garrett moves fast, too fast. Knox dodges, barely. The crowd murmurs around me, uncomfortable sounds that match the churning in my stomach.This isn't right. This isn't how trials are supposed to go.Knox should be winning. He should be dominating, should be proving to everyone that he's worthy of leading this pack.Instead, he's strugglin
Cassie's POV My stomach plummets with dread in an instant. The word ‘barely’ hits me like a physical blow. Knox is alive, but barely.“What happened?” Adrian's hand finds mine, squeezing. “How bad is it?”“Bad enough.” The elder's voice is heavy with something that sounds like disgust. “He fought well for someone without a wolf. Lasted longer than many expected. But in the end,” he sighs. “Garrett beat him down. Multiple broken ribs, fractured jaw, internal bleeding. The boy passed out in the arena and hasn't woken up yet.”Hasn't woken up yet.The words echo in my head. Knox is unconscious. Badly injured. Maybe dying even now.“Alpha Warren?” Adrian asks quietly. “What did he do?”“Stood there and watched his son get beaten into the ground.” The elder's tone turns bitter. “He refused to call the trial even when it was clear Knox couldn't continue. Made Garrett keep hitting him until the boy finally passed out.”Horror crashes through me. Knox's own father stood there and let this ha
Cassie's POVThe ten minutes feel like hours. I pace the apartment, my hand pressed against my chest where the pains continue to pulse— fainter now, but still there, reminding me that Knox is hurt. Or worse.I shake my head violently. No. I can't think like that.The knock on the door makes me jump. I rush to open it, not even bothering to check through the peephole.Adrian stands in the hallway, his expression shifting from concern to alarm the moment he sees me.“Cassie.” He steps inside immediately, his hands coming to my shoulders. “What happened? You look—”“Do you know where the Blackwood Pack is?” The question bursts from me before he can finish.His eyes widen slightly. “The Blackwood Pack? Why?” “Do you know where it is?” I grab his shirt, desperation making me bold. “Please, Adrian. I need to know. I need to get there.”“Cassie, slow down.” His voice is gentle but firm. “Tell me what's happening. Why do you need to get to the Blackwood Pack?”“Knox.” His name breaks on my l
Cassie's POVThe pain hits me hard, causing me to groan. One moment I'm sitting in the apartment, staring blankly at a textbook I haven't absorbed a single word from. The next, agony explodes through my chest so intense, so visceral, that I can't breathe.I double over, my hands clutching at my ribs. It feels like something inside me is breaking, cracking, and splintering into pieces.“What—” The word comes out as a gasp. “What's happening?”The pain shifts. My jaw throbs like someone just punched me. My stomach clenches like I've been hit. My back screams like something heavy just slammed into it.But no one is touching me. I'm alone in my apartment. This doesn't make sense. None of this makes sense.Then, like ice water being dumped over my head, realization crashes through me.Knox.These aren't my injuries. They're his.The bond. The mate bond Maya told me about. The connection between us that makes us feel each other's pain.“No.” The word rips from my throat. “No, no, no.”Anoth
Knox's POVGarrett's fist connects with my ribs again and I hear something crack. Pain explodes through my side, sharp and immediate.I stumble backward, my hand instinctively pressing against the injury. Broken rib. Maybe two.The crowd's murmurs grow louder. No longer whispers of discomfort but audible concern.“He can't take much more.”“Someone should stop this.”“This isn't a trial. It's an execution.”I force myself upright, even though every breath sends pain through my chest. Blood drips from my split lip onto the arena floor.Garrett stands a few feet away, his expression torn between duty and mercy.“Knox.” His voice is gentle, the way you'd speak to someone dying. “Please. Yield. This doesn't have to continue.”“Yes, it does.” The words come out rasping and wet. “I haven't survived this long just to quit now.”“You're not quitting. You're being smart. There's a difference.”“To who?” I spit blood onto the stone. “To them?” I gesture vaguely at the crowd. “They've already de







