LOGINAiden's POVAs I sit back down, Jasmine hands me my plate, her fingers briefly tightening around my wrist, grounding.I glance at her, and she holds my gaze for a second before letting go.I gratefully tuck back in.Iāve just finished my food, and Emily has started collecting everyoneās plates, when thereās another ding from the lift.We all turn as a shrill shriek cuts through the corridor.āOh my Goddess, Sophie, have you been here all night? You poor thing, you should really go and rest.ā Kirstenās voice shatters the tense quiet. āPerhaps you can rest before we go for my dress appointment. You have a couple of hours?āSophie closes her eyes for half a second, and I watch her jaw tighten before she smooths it away and turns to face Kirsten.āWeāll have to rearrange, Iām afraid, Kirsten. Iām a little busy here.āKirsten looks around, and I know whatās going to come out of her mouth before she opens it. Her face scrunches with confusion.āBusy? Youāre all just sitting around? Is this
Aiden's POVJasmineās hand is small but warm in mine as we sit in the hospital corridor. Grey dawn light spills through the window at the far end, thin and cold, and I realise weāve been here all night.Jasper had to run off a couple of hours ago when we remembered weād left Felix and Kirsten in the panic room. That went down about as well as a ton of shit, apparently Kirsten was apoplectic at being in there so long, but no one really cares about that now.Tobias is back.Heās asleep, but heās back.Relief sits heavy in my chest, tangled up with something sharper. Because heās here, breathing, alive⦠but none of us know what that actually means yet. Whether heās really come back to us, or if weāve only got half of him. Whether Thor will return. Whether heāll still be our Alpha in the ways that matter.And yeah⦠buried under all of that is the thought none of us want to touch.What this means for the throne.I shove it down hard. Thatās not what matters. Not right now.Jasmineās thumb
Aiden's POVWe skid to a halt at the bottom of the castle steps and kick off our shoes and trousers. Dad and Greyson are there already. Baxterās still not here, but I assume heās on his way, or already wherever weāre heading.āPatrols identified rogues at the northern border, close to the last breach location. The Task Force have sent their Alpha unit to secure Thorās cabin. Beta unit are heading to secure the castle.āInteresting. Theyāre sending their best to keep Thor safe, which is technically breaking protocol when the Crown Prince and the King are inside the castle, but Iām not going to point it out. Not when Iād do exactly the same.āWeāre to go and hold the front line.āDad looks us all in the eye, then turns and shifts into Neo. We all launch after him, skin ripping into fur, bones snapping, the last of our clothing shredding.Ajax races through the trees, Jace and Milo on our flank. To our left, Neo is flanked by Gus. We run hard, heading up the slope through the trees and s
Aiden's POVI try really hard to keep my sigh and eye roll internal, but Iām not sure Iām successful. Ajax sniggers in the back of my mind as we watch Kirsten damn near coerce Felix into giving her own way again.Felix wanted to keep the whole ceremony low-key, sophisticated, and elegant, fitting with his motherās style. The understated opulence of old money and⦠well, taste. Kirsten, it seems, wouldnāt know tasteful if it smacked her in the fucking ass.She wants gaudy, flashy, and in your face. Queen Sophie abandoned helping before she screamed in her new daughter-in-lawās face, so Kirsten and her mother have been left with free rein, and itās terrifying. Apart from anything else, no one seems to be reminding them of the budget. They seem to think the crownās pockets are limitless, never mind that weāre in the middle of a kingdom-wide war with the rogues and dealing with riots and unrest breaking out left, right, and centre.No, Kirsten wants a grand ball with every Alpha and unit f
Tobias's POVEverything hurts.The light. The fabric against my skin. The hard press of the gurney beneath my back.I struggled not to cry out just now, when Edwardo and Henry lift me out of the helicopter. The blades are still cutting through the air behind us, the wind whipping across the roof, and the sound is deafening. It grates through my skull, sharp enough to make my teeth ache.I keep my eyes closed because even the cloudy daylight is too bright to tolerate.I have no idea whatās going on.Linc said itās been six months, but that doesnāt feel right. It feels like weeks. Maybe only days. I remember seeing Lincoln in a cabin, watching him work from time to time, but not months. Not six whole months.A flash of memory dredges us from my brain, Claws clacking against wooden floorboards. The scent of wood smoke and coffee. Lincolnās voice, low and tired, muttering to himself then another, flash, Lincoln murmuring in his sleep as he tossed and turned on the bed. And I remember, jas
Edwardo's POVWhatever he sees on my face has him nodding instantly, his eyes glazing over.'Henry, meet me outside the front of the manor. Now. Bring two sets of warrior clothes.'I cut the link before he can reply.'Sampson and Hillier, report to the front of the manor immediately.'I link the two warriors who have been assisting on the recovery project. They were part of the team, when we found Thor and the girls, so keeping them involved in the recovery process was easier than bringing anyone else in.Then I head out.Henry is waiting for me by the front doors of the manor, holding a pile of neatly folded clothes heās clearly swiped from the laundry cupboard on the way. He doesnāt question me, just waits patiently.āGet in,ā I say, indicating one of the RTVs parked at the front of the manor.Sampson and Hillier arrive a moment later, saluting as they reach me.āIn,ā I bark.They pile into the rear-facing seats as I slide into the driverās side next to Henry. I turn around and spee
Tobias's POVāIs your course going well?ā I ask, trying to keep this awkward, stilted conversation alive for more than three seconds at a time.Thereās a very slight tightening around her eyes when I mention the course, barely there if you do not know her, but I see it. She still nods. āYes, thank
Tobias's POVI feel much more settled after training. Xander, Max, Brant and even Lincoln all gave me a solid workout. Iām impressed with the progress Lincoln and his unit have made. Theyāre definitely on a par with the others now. Itās an impressive improvement in three years. I need to talk to Lin
Zahra's POVShe nods toward the chair by the window and I go sit, pulling out my phone.Thereās a message from Max.Max: Iām sitting in the most boring lecture on conflict resolution. Wishing I was with you already. Howās your day been?I smile.Me: Good. Well, tough actually, but I got a lot accom
Zahra's POVDinner last night was weird. I felt like I was under a microscope the whole time. But the strangest part wasnāt everyone staring, it was the way Tobias standing up for me made me feel. After everything, after the way he stormed into the pool party trying to have me pulled off the course







