LOGINAéron's point of view The morning training ground was already filled with wolves when I heard her voice. Not with my ears. Inside my head.Aéron, I'm sorry.I froze. The wooden practice sword in my hand slipped slightly between my fingers. For one terrible second, everything around me became distant. The warriors, the sound of bodies hitting the training mats, Lucian shouting instructions, Emily struggling to maintain her stance, even the cold morning wind seemed to disappear.There was only her voice. I'm sorry.My heart slammed against my ribs. "No." The word escaped my lips.Fenrir stirred violently inside me. Something is wrong."I know."Our mate is afraid. His voice was no longer calm. He began pacing restlessly through my mind, his claws scraping against the darkness of our bond. Something is happening to her.I clenched my fists. "No! I won't let anything happen to her." I couldn't explain why, but every instinct inside me screamed that something had changed. Elara wouldn't a
Elara's point of view I woke to the feeling of warmth around my hand. For a few seconds, I didn't understand where I was. Then the unfamiliar ceiling came into focus, followed by the cold stone walls and the heavy curtains covering the windows. The fortress.My heart sank. I turned my head slowly and found Henry sitting in the chair beside my bed. He was asleep. His head had fallen slightly to one side, his dark hair messier than usual. One of his hands was still wrapped around mine. I stared at our hands.He hadn't touched me anywhere else. He hadn't tried anything. He had simply stayed. I remembered asking him to remain until I fell asleep because of the storm. I had expected him to leave the moment my breathing became steady. Instead, he had apparently stayed beside me throughout the night.A strange feeling settled in my chest. I didn't trust him. I couldn't. But I couldn't deny that he had respected the boundary I had placed between us.You shouldn't be doing this. Nyra's voice
Elara's point of view I barely made it back to my room before the questions started attacking my mind all over again. The trembling beneath my feet. The ancient carving. The white wolf. The black wolf with those terrifying violet eyes. And Henry.Most of all, Henry. I had seen the fear in his eyes. It had lasted only for a second, but I had seen it. Henry White had been afraid. That realization made me stop beside the window.For days, I had believed this fortress belonged to him. He was the one who brought me here. He controlled the doors, the guards, the tunnels, the strange magic surrounding the mountain. He acted as though this entire place was an extension of himself.But what if it wasn't?What if Henry wasn't controlling the fortress?What if something inside it was controlling him?The thought sent a shiver through me. Ever since I had arrived, strange things had been happening. The walls had reacted to me. The ancient carvings had shown me visions. The fortress had trembled
Aéron's point of view The meeting room was already crowded when I entered.Every allied Alpha who had arrived at Red Moon Pack was seated around the long table, along with their Betas, our elders, my mother, Lucian, Kreos, and the witches who had come with Soren. The atmosphere was nothing like our usual council meetings. There was no arrogance, no political argument, no unnecessary challenge between Alphas.Everyone in that room wanted the same thing. Elara.I walked to the head of the table and remained standing. My eyes moved toward the oldest witch among them. She looked fragile at first glance, her silver hair braided down her back, her skin lined with age, but the moment she lifted her eyes toward me, I felt the weight of something ancient behind them."Tell me everything you know," I said. "I don't care how old the information is, how impossible it sounds, or whether you think it is relevant. If you know something about the fortress, Henry, ancient magic, or Elara, you tell us
Aéron's point of view The sound of claws striking the training ground echoed through the forest. I stood at the center of the clearing, watching two warriors circle each other."Again."They lunged. One shifted halfway through the movement, claws extending as he slammed into the other wolf. The second warrior twisted aside and knocked him into the dirt."Too slow," I growled.The warrior immediately got back up."Again."This time, he was faster. Better. That was what we needed. Not ordinary training. Not warriors who could fight one enemy at a time. We needed wolves capable of surviving whatever Henry White had prepared inside that fortress. The allied Alphas had brought some of their strongest warriors to Red Moon Pack, and for the past several hours, we had been training together.Alpha Rowan's warriors specialized in close combat. Alpha Kael's wolves were faster. Alpha Lucan had brought trackers who could identify scents that most wolves couldn't detect. I used all of them. Every
Elara's point of view I didn't sleep. Not even for a minute. Every time I closed my eyes, Henry's voice returned.I've already waited centuries.And then there was Nyra's silence. That was worse. I lay on the bed staring at the ceiling, one hand resting against my chest where the bond with Aéron pulsed faintly beneath my skin.He was out there. Somewhere, searching for me. I could feel it. Not his exact location. Not his thoughts. Just the distant warmth of our bond, like a thread stretched across an impossible distance."Aéron," I whispered.For a few seconds, nothing happened. Then warmth spread through my chest. I closed my eyes."Elara! Don't worry! I'm coming to get you back. We are looking for this fortress." "I knew you will come. I am fine and fighting to find a way out of here.""Keep fighting my queen! I love you, my star!" I almost smiled. The words weren't spoken aloud. They didn't need to be. I knew him that he would come. But waiting for him wasn't enough. If Henry ha







