Rockan’s Pov Kael's safety and the news of his responding to treatments did nothing to calm the storm brewing within me. For the first time since I decided to help Lyra uncover the truth, I finally believed that her memories were right after all. Indeed, someone much more powerful than her dead parents controlled the incident that occurred sixteen years ago. My gut instinct warned me of a larger conspiracy, and my inability to grasp the truth had me on edge, like a predator sensing danger but unable to locate its source.Lost in my rambling thoughts and unable to sleep, I poured myself a glass of that familiar amber liquid specially brewed to calm my feral nerves, but it was hopeless. The whiskey burned down my throat, yet my wolf remained restless, pacing within the confines of my mind. Soon, I found myself shuffling through the corridors in the dark, drawn toward her scent. One push of the door to her room revealed the face that had since captured my heart in a death grip.Lyra loo
Tyris’ PovMy feet seemed to be tied with lead as I retired to my room. Each step felt like walking through the quicksand of my conspiracies and lies. The weight of Rockan’s orders pressed heavily against my chest, echoing my growing desperation for the truth to remain buried. Find Isla. Investigate the Alpha of Blackcrest. His voice repeatedly rang in my head. I allowed the mahogany door to click shut behind me as I sealed myself into the private sanctuary that now felt like a tomb. My hands trembled from the suffocating reality that my carefully constructed world might crumble faster before I had the chance to rebuild it. Kael had survived the poisonous attack, and now, Rockan is determined to find the wolf who dared harm his most trusted hunter—the very wolf who happened to carry out my orders. If Marcus is fished out during this new round of investigations, I will be doomed and my connection to the incident sixteen years ago exposed like a raw nerve.With a frustrated sigh that
Lyra's POVAll sense of peace evaded my mind since Rockan and Tyris rushed out of the mansion, barely stopping to bid me goodbye. I wondered what the emergency might be as I watched them race out of the compound, nearly knocking the gardener out of his path in their haste. Perhaps more news of my parents had surfaced—another witness, another piece of evidence that could finally vindicate them. Or a nearby pack had been attacked, or it could be another rogue attack. Whatever it was, I couldn't stop the dread that crawled up my throat with each passing minute.The pain shooting from my left calf reminded me of the rigorous training I endured in Tyris' hands. He sure is a good teacher and his tactical lessons would go a long way in preparing me for the final showdown with my enemies—those snakes disguised as family who left me orphaned and broken. I want them to tremble before me as my wrath swallows them whole, to feel the same terror and helplessness that had consumed me for years.The
Rockan’s povThe silence in the car pressed against us like a living thing, heavy and suffocating. Thorne's text burned in my mind—coordinates to one of the safe houses nestled in the no-man's land between Blackcrest and Silvermoon, where shadows had teeth and secrets bred like parasites.Tyris shifted beside me in the backseat, his restless energy crackling through the confined space. I didn't need to look at him to know he was unravelling; the scent of his anxiety was sharp as copper in my nostrils, mixing with the leather seats and the driver's cheap cologne."You're vibrating like a tuning fork," I muttered, finally turning to catch his profile in the passing streetlights. His jaw was clenched so tight I wondered if his teeth might crack. "What's eating you up?""Nothing." The word came out strangled, wrapped in a smile that wouldn't have fooled a blind man. His heart hammered against his chest like a caged bird, and I found myself wondering if t was because of Kael’s injuries or
Tyris povBelow in the courtyard, I suddenly stiffened as Rockan’s voice barged into my mind. A snap of my head toward his office window brought his masked face into view. Even from this distance, I could see the anger in his eyes—rage from my proximity to Lyra, yes, but something else too. Something I couldn't quite place. There was a wildness there, a barely contained panic that made my wolf sit up and take notice.Ever since Lyra arrived at the mansion, Rockan had stopped trusting me with his covert missions. Where once I'd been his right hand in all things, now I was relegated to training duties and other minor tasks. The truth was painful: my brother no longer trusted me, around his mate and his kingdom. And maybe he was right not to.The guilt that constantly gnawed at me was snuffed out of my being. Though I'd crossed lines that should never have been crossed, sixteen years ago and now, it was too late to turn back or repent. I also allowed my feelings for Lyra to grow beyon
Rockan’s PovLyra had taken to training to keep her mind off the mounting evidence against her dead parents. However, I knew the main reason behind that decision was that she wanted to avoid me. Tyris had become her go-to person, and I have been almost relegated to the background. She has all her meals with him and their regular walks in the garden have resumed. Words cannot describe the amount of jealousy that coursed through my veins at the sight of them, chatting and laughing without any care in the world. The phone buzzed against my desk, jarring me from the stack of council documents I'd been pretending to read. Lyra's face haunted every word on these pages in the form of reports about her parents, testimonies from her former pack members, and evidence that painted an increasingly damning picture of the people she loved most.Kael's name flashed on the screen. I snatched it up, expecting his usual calm report and more damning evidence against my dead in-laws.Instead, I heard la