MasukVALERIAN’S POVI stood in the study with the low light of the desk lamp casting long shadows across the maps and scattered reports as Cassian waited in front of me with his arms crossed. His expression tight while the late hour pressed against the windows and the fortress held its usual night silence outside.“I want the one who broke into Silvercrest and took those records,” I said as my voice stayed even and cold with no room for debate while I held his gaze. “Find him. Bring him to me. I need answers before this gets any worse.”Cassian nodded once as he shifted his weight and answered without hesitation. “I’ll start with the outer patrols and the servants who had access near the eastern gates. If he crossed into Blood Moon land I’ll have him by morning.”“Go now,” I told him as I turned slightly toward the window with my hands resting on the edge of the desk. “Do not waste time and do not make noise that reaches the upper floors.”He left without another word as the door shut behi
VALERIAN’S POVCassian delivered the news in the garden while Nyra still stood close enough to hear every word. The thief who stole the Silvercrest records had crossed into Blood Moon territory. I felt no surge of panic. The information settled into place like a piece I had already expected.“Good,” I said.Cassian’s brow furrowed. “Good?”I turned toward the fortress walls that rose behind the gardens. “It is easier to kill prey when it walks into your forest.”The words left no room for argument. I strode inside with Cassian and the nearest commanders trailing behind. Nyra followed at a quieter pace. She did not speak. She simply watched. In the main hall I began issuing orders without raising my voice. Each command came precise and final.“Lock every northern gate. No one leaves. No one enters without my personal seal. Double the patrols along the outer walls and the forest roads. Question every servant who has left the fortress in the last three days. Search every carriage that ap
VALERIAN’S POVCassian delivered the news in the garden while Nyra still stood close enough to hear every word. The thief who stole the Silvercrest records had crossed into Blood Moon territory. I felt no surge of panic. The information settled into place like a piece I had already expected.“Good,” I said.Cassian’s brow furrowed. “Good?”I turned toward the fortress walls that rose behind the gardens. “It is easier to kill prey when it walks into your forest.”The words left no room for argument. I strode inside with Cassian and the nearest commanders trailing behind. Nyra followed at a quieter pace. She did not speak. She simply watched. In the main hall I began issuing orders without raising my voice. Each command came precise and final.“Lock every northern gate. No one leaves. No one enters without my personal seal. Double the patrols along the outer walls and the forest roads. Question every servant who has left the fortress in the last three days. Search every carriage that ap
NYRA’S POVI stood close to Valerian in the council chamber as the weight of the stolen records settled over everyone. He rose from his seat and the entire room seemed to shrink under the force of his presence. Elders and guards fell quiet without a single raised voice. He turned to Alpha Rowan and spoke with calm finality.“Whatever was stolen was stolen before we arrived. There is nothing more to gain by staying.”Rowan bowed his head deeply. Guilt carved new lines into his weathered face. “Silvercrest has failed her again. I failed her. If I had protected the vault better or watched my people more closely none of this would have happened.”I stepped forward before Valerian could answer. My voice stayed soft but carried quiet strength. “You cannot apologize for something someone else chose to do.”The words landed with unexpected weight. Rowan looked at me for a long moment. Then he knelt on the stone floor not as a political gesture but as a man recognizing something deeper. The el
VALERIAN’S POVThe nursery stayed silent after Alpha Rowan’s words. Dust floated in the thin shafts of sunlight that cut through the tall windows. No one moved. No one spoke. Nyra remained pressed against my chest where I held her upright after the memory flash nearly dropped her to the floor. Her breathing stayed uneven. Her eyes locked on the older man as if the title he had given her had stripped her of speech.I studied the room instead of speaking. The elders stood in a tight cluster near the doorway. Their faces showed more than surprise. Fear tightened their mouths and stiffened their shoulders. One older woman gripped the edge of a broken toy shelf until her knuckles turned white. Another man’s eyes flicked toward the exit as if calculating how quickly he could leave. They knew something. They had known it the moment Nyra stepped into this place.I broke the silence with a single cold word. “Explain.”Every spine in the room straightened. Alpha Rowan Silvercrest lifted his hea
NYRA’S POVI sat beside Valerian in the car as the fortress gates faded behind us. The engine hummed steadily while the road stretched ahead toward lands I had never visited. Cassian rode in the front seat and spoke in low tones about what little they knew of Silvercrest. Silence filled most of the journey.I kept my eyes fixed on the passing trees and hills. The name Silvercrest repeated in my head like a half-remembered song. Silvercrest. Silvercrest. Why did it pull at something deep inside my chest? Why did it feel like both a wound and a home at the same time?I pressed my fingers against my temples. Tiny flashes flickered behind my eyes. Fire. Smoke. A woman’s face. They vanished before I could grasp them. The ache remained. Valerian noticed. He reached across the seat without a word and took my hand. His grip felt warm and solid. I squeezed back and drew strength from the simple contact. No questions, no pressure. Just his presence beside me.Cassian turned slightly in his seat







