Mag-log inLyon’s POVThe Great Hall was filled with the scent of burning cedar and the restless energy of the pack. The elders had organized the "Presentation of the Heir," a ceremony that hadn't been performed in nearly a generation. To the hundreds of wolves gathered below the dais, this was a day of celebration. They saw a future, a bloodline, and a reason to howl at the moon.To me, it felt like I was walking toward a gallows.I stood on the raised stone platform, dressed in my formal Alpha leathers. To my right sat Nima. She was pale, but she held herself with a regal strength, her eyes fixed on the boy standing between us. Callum looked small and confused in his tiny ceremonial tunic, clutching a wooden toy as he looked out at the sea of faces.Raynka stood on my left. She had chosen a gown of pure white, looking every bit the part of the redeemed mother. She kept leaning toward me, her shoulder brushing mine in a way that made my skin itch. Every time she moved, the elders nodded in ap
Christie’s POVThe early morning fog was still clinging to the ground when I pulled into the driveway. My eyes were burning from twelve hours of staring at lab reports and monitoring patients. As the headlights of the Bentley swept across the front of the Graves estate, I noticed a sleek black sedan parked near the hedges. My heart hammered against my ribs for a second. I thought it might be Lyon. I thought he had finally come to explain the silence. But as I stepped out of the car, a tall, lean figure emerged from the driver’s side of the sedan. It wasn't Lyon.It was Ren.He looked exhausted. His clothes were slightly wrinkled, and his expression was full of a nervous energy I had never seen on him before. He kept glancing toward the street, as if he expected a pack of wolves to descend on him at any moment."Ren?" I asked, walking toward him. "What are you doing here? Does Lyon know you’re in the city?""Lyon doesn't know," Ren whispered, his voice low and urgent. "He would proba
Lyon’s POVI was walking toward the training grounds, trying to clear my head, when Kendra stepped out from the shadows of the stone archway. She wasn't wearing her training gear. She was dressed in formal pack leathers, looking every bit like the daughter of a high-ranking elder."We need to talk, Lyon," she said, her voice devoid of its usual mockery. "I’m offering a truce."I stopped and looked at her. "I don't have time for your games, Kendra.""This isn't a game," she replied, stepping closer. "I know about the DNA results. I also know that the seal was broken before the envelope ever reached your desk. I know who did it, and I know that Raynka isn't nearly as innocent as she’s pretending to be in front of your mother."My pulse quickened. I reached out and grabbed her arm. "Tell me what you know. Now."Kendra pulled her arm back, a slow, calculating smile spreading across her face. "Information has a price, Lyon.
Christie’s POVI spent my entire shift at the lab burying myself in paperwork and blood panels. I didn't take a lunch break. I didn't stop to chat with the other doctors. I thought that if I kept my brain busy enough, I could drown out the silence coming from my phone. It sat in my locker, a cold piece of plastic that held the wreckage of my personal life. During a quick coffee break, I made the mistake of opening a browser on the lab computer. A gossip blog that tracked the high-profile families of the North was the first thing to pop up. My heart stopped. There was a grainy, zoomed-in photo of Lyon’s estate. The headline was bold and cruel: "The Secret Heir of the North: Alpha Lyon’s Hidden Son Returns."I stared at the image until my eyes burned. The reality hit me like a physical punch to the stomach. While I was sitting here in a white coat, Lyon’s world had moved on. He was surrounded by his people, his history, and now, his son.
Lyon’s POVRen and I retreated to the private vault behind my study. It was the only room in the entire estate where the walls were reinforced against prying ears and the locks required my own biometric scan. Once the heavy steel door hissed shut, I threw the envelope onto the central table. The broken wax seal stared back at me. "Who had access to the courier?" I asked. My voice was a low, dangerous growl.Ren stood at attention, his face pale. "Only the medical team and the inner gate guards, Alpha. I personally took the envelope from the courier the moment he arrived. But there was a three-minute window when I was called away to handle a dispute at the servant’s entrance.""Three minutes," I muttered. "Three minutes is all it takes to ruin a life."I pulled the documents out. My eyes blurred for a second before they locked onto the numbers. The probability of paternity was 99.9%. Callum was my son. There was no longer any doubt, no more room for hope that this was all a mistake.
Lyon’s POVThe dining hall was set for what was supposed to be a private dinner. I had given strict orders for only the family to be present. I needed a quiet space to confront Raynka and Nima without the eyes of the pack watching our every move. But as I walked into the room, my blood turned cold.Three of the most senior pack elders were already seated at the long oak table. They were dressed in their formal robes, their faces stern and expectant. Raynka was standing near the head of the table, wearing a modest cream-colored dress that made her look like a grieving saint."What is this?" I asked, my voice low and dangerous.Raynka jumped slightly, clutching her chest. "Oh, Lyon! I am so sorry. I mentioned to Elder Silas that we were having a family gathering, and they insisted on coming to pay their respects to the boy. I didn't know how to say no without being rude.""You didn't know how to follow orders," I snapped."Lyon, si
Christie's POVI didn't sleep well.I kept reading that text over and over in my head even with the phone face down on the nightstand. *We know where you are.* Every time I closed my eyes it was right there waiting for me.At some point past midnight, there was a knock on my door.I sat up. "Yes?"
Christie's POVI didn't hear him come out.One second I was alone on the steps talking to myself like an idiot, and the next Lyon was sitting beside me, close enough that I could feel the warmth coming off him in the cool evening air.I straightened up quickly."How long have you been standing ther
Lyon's POVThe elders were already seated when I walked in.Seven of them around the long table, all wearing the same expression. I sat down at the head of the table and looked at each of them without speaking.Elder Cass started."The human girl has been inside this house for over twenty four hour
Christie's POVLyon didn't answer my question.He just looked at me across the kitchen table with a steady expression that gave nothing away, and then he stood up and took both our plates to the sink. I let it go. For now.I went back upstairs to check on Nima. She was still sleeping, her vitals h







