LOGINLucien's POV The night didn’t settle after Maverick left.It lingered like something unfinished.I stood at the edge of the training grounds, still wrapped in the illusion of an old man, watching the last of the pack disperse in uneasy clusters. Conversations stayed low, movements tighter, eyes sharper.They were alert. Blood Moon wolves were in deep thoughts.My gaze drifted toward the treeline where Maverick had stood only moments ago.Rogues didn’t walk into another Alpha’s territory… without my permission.My jaw tightened slightly. That wasn’t a mistake but a choice.Behind me, I felt my mate before she spoke.“You’re thinking too loud again.”Even disguised, even hidden, the connection between us remained untouched, and unbreakable.I didn’t turn immediately.“I don’t like it,” I said.Her presence moved closer, quiet, steady.“Maverick?” she asked.“Yes.”That was all it took.A pause stretched between us.“He wasn’t supposed to leave the Lunar Kingdom,” I continued. “Not now
Maya’s POV This wasn’t the Blood Moon I had left behind although it looked the same.The towering pines still stretched high into the sky, their shadows weaving across the forest floor. The scent of earth, iron, and wolf still lingered strong and familiar.But beneath all of it?Something had changed.m“You feel it too.”Lucien’s voice brushed against my mind through the bond, low and steady.“Yes,” I replied quietly. “It’s not loud… but it’s there.”“It’s controlled,” he said.That made me glance at him.Even in disguise, I could still see the way he carried himself, the quiet dominance that couldn’t be hidden no matter how much illusion wrapped around him.To anyone else, he was nothing more than an aging traveler. A man worn by years, his shoulders slightly bent, his hair streaked with gray.But to me?He was still my Alpha.Mine.And right now, he was watching everything.“Dominance,” I repeated softly.That word sat differently now because chaos didn’t feel like this.This? fe
FINN’S POVLena lied.My instincts had never been false.I didn’t react when she finished her report.Neither did I question her further, or press harder. Not even a flicker of doubt crossed my face.Because that’s the mistake most leaders make, confronting too early, showing their hand before the game has even begun.So I nodded, and told her to keep watching.I let her walk away. But the moment she turned her back, I knew.Sophie stepped beside me, quiet as always, but I could see it in her eyes, the sharp edge of her instincts already cutting ahead of mine.“She’s holding something back,” she said under her breath.“I know.”That didn’t surprise her.“What kind of something?” she asked.I didn’t answer immediately because I was still piecing it together.“Details,” I said finally. “Small ones.”She frowned. “Like?”I exhaled slowly, replaying the conversation in my head.“She said they’re not organized,” I began. “That, it’s just uncertainty.”“And?”I looked at her.“She chose th
ETHAN’S POVLena wasn't going to give Beta Finn a detailed report.I knew it before she even walked away, not because I trusted, but understood her.There’s a small, almost invisible moment when someone stops standing outside a line and steps just close enough to feel its pull.Lena crossed that line, enough to make her dangerous.I stood in the abandoned den long after she left, the silence settling thick around me again. The atmosphere felt different now, smaller and tighter like it had taken on the weight of what we’d started.Nine wolves had a conversation, and made a choice but that wasn’t enough anymore.If this was going to survive, if we were going to survive, we needed structure.Rather than chaos, emotion and lack of Control.The thought of strategy was active in my mind.I pushed myself off the wall and stepped outside.The cold night air hit, sharp against my skin, grounding.Somehow it felt good. I needed that.Because this?This was the part where mistakes got people k
LENA’S POVI didn’t expect that deep sensual kiss from Ethan.One second, we were standing there, on opposite sides of something dangerous, something neither of us could take back.The moment after, his lips were on mine.It was soft, and I wasn't hesitant, giving in willingly.For a heartbeat, I froze completely.My mind blanked, instincts clashing, fight, pull away, report, remember why I was here but none of them won, because beneath all of that there was something else.Him.Ethan didn’t kiss me like someone asking for permission. He kissed me like someone who already knew the answer.And that shook me more than anything.My hands should’ve pushed him away butthey didn’t.Instead, they hovered for a second too long… before gripping his shirt.A sweet mistake. I felt the shift, the moment I responded. I had crossed a line, this wasn’t strategy anymore but something else entirely, and I didn't know the exact word to call it.He pulled back just enough to meet my gaze. His breath,
FINN’S POVOn paper, everything looked normal.But reality? had shifted.“A Report for you, My Beta”Rowan’s voice came from behind me, low.“Tell me something I don’t already know,” I said.“They’re meeting.”That got my attention. I turned slowly to meet his gaze.Rowan leaned against the doorway like he had all the time in the world, but his eyes spoke of the gravity of the words about to leave his mouth.“How many?” I asked.“Not one group,” he replied. “Several.”My jaw tightened slightly.“Same place?” I pressed.“No,” Rowan said. “Different locations. Rotating.”That felt… deliberately rebellious.“Their defiance is taking root,” I muttered.Rowan dipped his head, confirming it.“They’re careful, with no direct paths.”“I see”Ethan wasn't acting on instinct anymore, the young scout had progressed to planning.“Do they have leaders?” I asked.Rowan’s gaze held mine.“One.”A leader.“And you’re sure?” I asked.“I followed Lena,” he said simply.“She led you there?” I asked.“No
Sophie's POV I chose the clearing because no one ever went there at night.That alone should have scared me.Mist clung to the ground, silver and thick, wrapping around my boots as I stepped forward. Every sound felt louder than it should have been. Every heartbeat reminded me how much I had to l
Ethan's POVThe first real test came sooner than I expected.Silver Creek didn’t cross the border.They didn’t need to.They sent a message instead, three scouts spotted deliberately, close enough to be seen, far enough to retreat. It sent a signal across, a challenge without blood. A reminder.Al
Maya’s POVThe night was quiet, but my heart was loud.Lucien and I stood in the clearing behind the packhouse. The moon hung low, bright, bathing the forest in silver. Every leaf, every shadow felt alive.“Are you ready?” Lucien asked, his voice low, steady, but soft.I nodded. Words felt small,
Maya's POVThe council’s response came faster than I expected.Too fast.By sunset, the messengers arrived.Three of them. All wearing council colors. All with faces tight and cold.They didn’t bow to me.They bowed low to Lucien.“We heard about the meeting,” the lead messenger said.Lucien’s voi







