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
A war cry ripped from her throat—raw, primal, the sound of a woman who would not be taken. And the power beyond the veil answered her call. With a crack that shook the ground, a massive tree branch swung down like a divine hammer, slamming into Elara mid-leap. The impact was brutal. A yelp—sharp
“How could you?” she seethed, her voice cracking. “You lied to me. To our family. You’ve made a mockery of everything we built.” Garrick stepped forward in his glass enclosure, palms pressed to the barrier. “Brielle, no—you don’t understand. I was tricked! It’s not what you think.” His voice pitch
“According to this record, Miss Kaelani opened a personal bank account on the day that you claim she went missing—her eighteenth birthday.” Whispers stirred again. The Elder continued, unfazed. “What raised further concern was a transaction made into that account on the exact same day. A deposit
The cell was cold. Not freezing, not unbearable—just cold enough to remind Kaelani that comfort wasn’t an option. The overhead light flickered every so often, buzzing faintly like it, too, was tired of bearing witness. She sat on the edge of the narrow metal cot bolted to the wall, spine straight,







