LOGINThe door didn’t open immediately.Zade stood there, hand still on the handle, like something on the other side was thinking about letting him in… or deciding not to.Mia felt it too.That quiet.Not normal quiet. Not night silence. This one felt… aware.“Zade…” she whispered.“I know.”He pushed the door.It creaked open slowly.Inside, the room was dark—but not empty.The window was open. Curtains moving with the wind. The air smelled wrong… like damp earth and something metallic underneath.Zade stepped in first.Mia followed, slower.“Stay behind me,” he muttered.“I’m not a child.”“Tonight, you are.”She didn’t argue.That alone told him something was off.The room looked untouched at first glance. Bed neatly made. Table in place. Nothing broken.But—Zade’s eyes shifted.The floor.Barely visible… but there.Marks.Not footprints.Claw marks.Dragging across the wooden floor like something heavy had been pulled… or something had resisted.Mia saw it too.Her breath caught.“…Tha
The moment we stepped out of the hospital, the air felt… wrong. Too still. Too quiet. Like everything was holding its breath. Lucian didn’t slow down. One arm steady around Mira, the other slightly out like he was ready for anything. Arin stayed close to me this time. Closer than usual. That alone told me he felt it too. “Where are we going?” he asked quietly. “Main gate,” Lucian answered. No hesitation. No second guessing. Straight out of Ironhaven. My grip tightened slightly around Arin’s hand. Something in my chest wouldn’t settle. “You feel it too, don’t you?” I said under my breath. Lucian didn’t look at me. “Yes.” That was enough. We kept walking. Fast. Purposeful. The guards we passed stepped aside immediately. No one stopped us. That should’ve made me feel better. It didn’t. If anything… it made it worse. Too easy. Way too easy. Mira shifted slightly. “Why does it feel like we’re sneaking out?” she muttered. “We’re not sneaking,” I said. “Feels
IVY POVThe room felt different after Lucian walked back in.I didn’t ask what happened outside.I didn’t need to.I could see it in his face.Calm… but not relaxed. Like he was holding something down beneath the surface. Something he didn’t want spilling into the room with the kids.That alone told me everything.Time was up.“We’re leaving,” he said quietly.No hesitation.No looking at me for approval.Just a decision.And for once… I didn’t argue.Mira shifted slightly on the bed, wincing as she tried to sit up straighter.“Now?” she asked.“Yes,” I answered before Lucian could. “As soon as the healers clear you.”Arin frowned.“Are we in trouble or something?”I forced a small smile.“No.”He didn’t believe that.Neither did Mira.But neither of them pushed it.Lucian moved closer to the bed, his voice softer now.“You’re strong, Mira. But we don’t take chances.”“I wasn’t taking chances,” she muttered. “They came to me.”My chest tightened again.I sat on the edge of the bed ca
DARIUS POVThe door closed.Not slammed.Not dramatic.Just… closed.And somehow, that was worse.I stood there for a while, staring at the spot where she had been like something might change if I didn’t move. Like she’d open the door again and take it back.She didn’t.Of course she didn’t.My jaw tightened, and I let out a slow breath through my nose. My hands curled slightly at my sides before I forced them to relax.Control.That’s all this was now.Control.Because if I let even a fraction of what was actually going on inside me show, everything would fall apart.And I couldn’t afford that.Not now.Not when I was this close.A door opened behind me.I didn’t need to turn to know who it was.Lucian.“I was wondering how that went.”His voice was calm.Too calm.I turned slowly.He stood a few steps away, arms loose at his sides, but his posture was anything but relaxed. His eyes were locked on me, sharp and watchful.“She made her decision,” I said.“I know.”That irritated me m
IVY POVThe knock came just as I finished tying the last strap on my bag.Firm.Controlled.I didn’t need to ask who it was.My chest tightened anyway.Lucian looked at me from across the room. He didn’t say anything at first, just watched my face like he was reading everything I wasn’t saying.“He won’t stop,” I said quietly.“I know.”Another knock.Same rhythm.Same patience.Lucian’s jaw ticked slightly.“You don’t have to open that door.”I exhaled slowly.“Yes, I do.”Because if I didn’t, this wouldn’t end.And I needed it to end.I walked toward the door, my steps steady even though my chest felt anything but. My hand paused on the handle for half a second, then I pulled it open.Darius stood there.Calm.Too calm.For a moment, neither of us spoke.Then his eyes moved past me, landing briefly on Lucian behind me before coming back to me.“We need to talk.”Lucian stepped forward immediately.“She doesn’t—”“I wasn’t talking to you.”His voice wasn’t loud.But it was sharp.Luc
DARIUS POV I let them walk out of that room. Not because I wanted to. Because I had to. There’s a difference. The moment the door closed behind me, I stood there for a second, just staring at nothing. My jaw was tight, my hands clenched, and my wolf wouldn’t shut up. They’re leaving. “I know,” I muttered under my breath. And I wasn’t letting that happen. I started walking. Fast. By the time I got outside, Kellan was already there like he’d been waiting. “What happened?” he asked. “They’re still planning to leave.” He let out a breath through his nose, nodding like he expected that. “Of course they are.” I looked at him. “Status.” “Border’s locked down,” he said immediately. “Men in position. No one gets in or out without your say.” “Good.” “But—” he added, watching me carefully, “—if this turns into what I think it might…” “A war?” I finished. He didn’t answer. He didn’t need to. I dragged a hand down my face. “I told you already,” I said. “I’m not rushing int
Darius. That was the name they whispered with awe and fear, but only I, the Alpha of Ironhaven, truly understood the weight it carried. Nine months, nine months I had searched for Ivy. Nine months I had burned through forests, villages, and smaller packs in pursuit of the one who had humiliated m
With the thought of Kellan just behind me, following my footsteps from the shadows, I use the dust, but it still felt like he could see through even though. I ran to my room. The guards clearly hears footsteps and feel presence, they now are on high alert, searching the area. The dust made me feel u
The guard did not knock. He only opened the door and said, “The Alpha requires you." The Alpha’s private chamber smelled of iron and winter incense. Curtains the color of old wine blocked most of the light. At the center table lay the circlet-black iron woven like thorned vines, polished to l
I found him lying on the cold stone, barely breathing. Wolfsbane had carved weakness into his limbs, hunger hollowed his cheeks, and yet the defiance in his eyes hadn’t fade “Rowan,” I whispered, kneeling beside him. My hands trembled as I touched his shoulder. He was so glad to see me, trying







