LOGINWhen they returned to the Blackthorn packhouse, Julian expected to find his mother in one of her usual places—the sunroom overlooking the gardens, or the small sitting alcove near the east corridor where she liked to read. She wasn’t there. He checked the parlor. The dining hall. Nothing. A fai
Julian sat at the kitchen table, tension still visible in the tight line of his shoulders as Kaelani moved at the counter, finishing the last touches on their breakfast. “I would have ripped his head clean off his shoulders,” he said quietly, though there was nothing casual about the way he said it
Lyressa’s expression softened, though there was quiet gravity beneath it. “The moment Draevyn fell, the illusion fell with him,” she said. “They saw clearly what they had refused to see. That they turned away from their rightful queen out of fear and ignorance.” Her gaze did not waver. “They were
Surprise flashed across Kaelani’s face as her eyes flicked briefly to Lyressa before returning to Julian. “I had some business to attend to,” she said. “I wasn’t gone that long. I thought you’d still be asleep.” Julian didn’t respond out loud. “You can’t just leave like that,” he said through the
Elara’s crying still echoed through the courtyard when Kaelani lifted her hands. Violet light flared outward from her palms in a sudden, controlled surge, rippling across the pack grounds in expanding waves. The energy arced over rooftops, threaded through the treeline, and sealed overhead in a vas
Kaelani glanced down at her palm, the cut sealing before her eyes. Garrick stepped forward. Slowly, intentionally, he lowered himself to one knee before her and placed his hand over his heart. “I, Garrick Blake, pledge my allegiance to Kaelani Blake of Silveredge. As Alpha. In loyalty. In service
The sharp scent of burning sugar hit Kaelani’s nose a second too late. She whipped the oven door open, coughing as smoke curled out in a bitter wave. The tray of croissants, once golden and perfect, was now blackened beyond saving. “Damn it,” she muttered, sliding them out and clattering the tray o
Kaelani strained against the roots, muscles trembling, fury blazing in her eyes even as the living restraints forced her into submission. The courtyard lay in violent disarray. Stone tables had been overturned or hurled aside, some shattered completely, their broken legs jutting from the ground li
He stilled in the hallway, his expression unaffected. Slowly, he lifted a hand to his collar, inhaling. Her scent still lingered faintly there—sweet, stubborn. His wolf stirred, restless. “I’ll send a jet,” he said at last. “In a few days.” “Why not now?” She pressed, almost pleading. “Because I
The boardroom at Blackthorn was all polished wood and steel, its walls lined with windows that framed the dense forest beyond. Julian sat at the head of the long table, shoulders squared, every line of him composed. The screen at the far end flickered with faces—Alphas and Betas from the summit, pa







