Nathaniel's POVThe road leading to the Silver-Coast Pack was silent. I rode slowly, my eyes fixed on the cliffs in the distance. The wind blew colder here. Even my wolf, Sean, didn’t speak much as we approached the gates. The guards stood in a straight line, quiet and still. Their faces gave nothing away. No movement, no expression. It was like they were made of stone.The gates opened with a heavy sound. No one gave an order, but the guards moved in perfect steps. I stayed on my horse until I saw the man coming toward me. He was tall, his steps slow and steady. He had grey hair at the sides and sharp eyes. I knew right away who he was.“Alpha Throndsen,” I said as I got down from my horse.He didn’t answer at once. He looked at me for a long time, as if he was reading something written on my face.Then he spoke. “Nathaniel. Welcome to Silver-Coast.”His voice was quiet but firm. He nodded to a man beside him, who stepped forward and took the reins of my horse.“Come,” Throndsen said
Nathaniel's POV The next morning, I stepped outside the guest quarters. The wind was colder than the day before, and the sky was gray. The ground was hard under my boots, and the cliffs stood far in the distance like stone walls. I walked slowly through the Silver-Coast Pack’s territory, taking in everything. The people I passed did not smile. They did not seem to have any message in their eyes. And even if they did, they didn't seem eager to share it to the alpha who had come to them for want of information. They simply moved in directions that they had business in.Most of them did not even look up. They moved quickly and quietly, as if they were afraid of being watched. Or even caught.The guards stood straight at every corner. Their eyes didn’t move unless I spoke to them first. Even then, they only answered with short words. No one joked. No one laughed. It wasn’t like the Star-Rain Pack, where people tried too hard to impress. Here, everything was quiet. Too quiet.I kept walki
Nathaniel's POV Someone knocked on my door before the sun came up. I was already awake, sitting by the window, watching the sky shift from dark to gray. I stood and opened the door. A young guard stood outside, eyes fixed ahead.“Alpha Throndsen would like to see you,” he said.“Now?” I asked.“Yes. He said it’s important.”I didn’t ask more. I changed quickly, pulled on my coat, and followed the guard through the cold halls. The stones under our feet were wet with morning frost. The silence between us lasted the entire walk. We moved past the sleeping halls, past the main courtyard, and through a set of tall wooden doors. Two more guards opened them without a word.Inside, Throndsen waited.He stood by the long window at the far end of the room. The light outside was still faint, but it spilled in just enough to show his face. This time, he didn’t wear his usual polite smile. His hands were behind his back, and he didn’t speak right away.The guard left and closed the door behind me
Nathaniel's POVThe knock came just after sunrise.This time, I was dressed and waiting. I didn’t sleep much the night before. The guard at my door gave a small nod and said, “It’s time.”I followed him without asking questions. We walked down a different hallway today, one that led away from the main rooms. The floor here was older, the stones uneven and darker than the rest. The air felt heavy.We came to a large wooden door. Two guards opened it as we approached. Cold air blew in at once. I stepped outside and found myself standing in a stone courtyard. The sky above was gray, no sign of sun.High stone walls surrounded the entire space. The walls were rough and worn, but clean. Guards stood at every edge. They held their weapons tight and watched the center of the courtyard.There was a platform in the middle.It was raised a few feet off the ground, with wide wooden steps leading up to it. A long block stood near the center of the platform, shaped for one thing. A heavy axe reste
Nathaniel's POVI stood by the window, holding a warm cup in both hands. The morning air was cold, though the fire behind me still burned low. I didn’t look outside for the view—it wasn’t much to look at. Gray sky, heavy walls, quiet buildings with stiff guards at every corner. But I needed the silence. I needed the space to think.My bag was half-packed. A servant had already folded most of my things. Another one stood near the door, sorting through supplies. I hadn’t asked for help, but they had sent people anyway. One young man kept checking if I needed anything. I told him I didn’t. He still hovered.“We’ll be done soon,” he said, carefully placing a pair of boots into a leather sack. “We’re almost finished with your men’s things too. I sent someone to check on them.”I nodded and took another sip from my cup. The drink was bitter, but warm. It helped me stay alert.Sean was quiet in my mind, but I could feel him close, always ready.We were leaving today. I had already spoken wit
Nathaniel's POV The wind scratched at my cheeks as I stood at the front of our group. The sun had barely touched the sky. A pale light hung above us, not warm enough to chase away the cold that clung to everything. My coat did little to stop the chill, but I didn’t complain. I welcomed the discomfort. It matched the thoughts running through my head.We were ready to move. The horses were saddled. Our packs were tied down. My men stood in a rough line, waiting for my word. The land behind us was quiet now, but Star-Rain had left something behind in me. I couldn’t forget the silence of the crowd as those heads hit the stone. I couldn’t forget the smell of blood or the way Throndsen had looked at me like he was teaching me a lesson.Jorah, a Beta werewolf who had come with us and had been giving wise counsels throughout our movements, moved his horse closer to mine. "Alpha," he said, his voice low but steady. "We should head back to Moonhowl. We need to regroup. Rest. Plan."He was righ
Duncan's POV The morning dragged on.I sat in the war room with a mess of papers spread in front of me. Reports, schedules, records—none of them held my interest. My eyes moved over the words, but nothing stayed in my head. I picked one up, looked at the seal, then tossed it aside. Another report from one of the outposts. Something about border activity. I didn’t care.My thoughts refused to settle. No matter how much I tried to focus, my mind always returned to one place—Phoebe.It had been months now. Months since she’d left. Months since I’d tried to forget her. I failed every day.The walls of the war room were covered with maps. I had marked every possible route someone could take to leave or enter the pack. I had ordered scouts to report anything strange. But nothing strange ever came up. No sign of her. Not even whispers. The one time we had a visit from the direction of the Moonhowl pack, was from a rebel, the very brother of Alpha Nathaniel. It didn't make sense, but it exci
Duncan’s POVI stood at the edge of the training grounds, my arms crossed loosely over my chest. In front of me, young wolves moved in pairs, their bodies shifting quickly as they practiced fighting. One would lunge, the other would dodge. They were getting. The trainers shouted instructions, and the young ones followed without hesitation.Their obedience should have made me proud. Any Alpha would be proud. But not today. Today, I felt nothing. No satisfaction. No pride. Just a dull weight pressing inside me.I exhaled through my nose and turned away. My feet began to move before I even thought about where I was going. I walked past the tall stone pillars at the edge of the grounds, then passed the old water well where we used to gather as kids. The sun was rising higher now, and everything was painted in gold, but I didn’t feel its warmth.My mind was stuck in one place.Phoebe.Every time I tried to focus on something else, her name pulled me back. Her face. Her voice. The way she l
Duncan's POVThe light filtering through the curtains barely reached my bed, and the faint, cold touch of morning was already creeping across my skin. My head felt like it was being crushed between two stone walls, the weight of the previous night pressing on me. I groaned, feeling the ache in my skull, the headache so sharp I could barely open my eyes. Slowly, I dragged myself into a sitting position, trying to fight the dizziness that swept over me.The events of last night were still a blur, a combination of frustration, too much alcohol, and anger that I couldn’t seem to shake. Antonio and Stephanie were still nowhere to be found, and the pressure of not knowing where they were or what they were doing felt like a constant weight in my chest.A soft sound caught my attention. I glanced to the side, my eyes finally opening to see the servant girl standing by the door, a tray in her hands. She didn’t say anything, just silently approached me, setting the tray down on the small table
Duncan's POVThe day had stretched long, and the news that came from my warriors only made the time feel heavier. No sign of Antonio. No word of Stephanie. I had expected a different report, maybe even a break in the hunt, but what I got was frustration. Over and over, I heard the same thing: “Nothing yet, Alpha.” It was enough to make my blood boil, but I couldn’t show it. Not yet. I had to keep my calm, had to pretend that it was all still under control.I paced the length of my chambers, my mind working through each possibility, each route they could have taken. Had they gone east? South? Were they hiding under my nose? Nothing made sense, and with every moment that passed, the anger inside me grew.One of my warriors dared to speak up. His voice had a tremor in it, like he knew he was treading on dangerous ground. “Alpha,” he began cautiously. “Perhaps we need better informants. Someone who knows Antonio's habits, his movements. Someone who might know where he’s hiding.”I didn’t
Nathaniel’s POVThe wheels of our vehicles crunched against the uneven ground as we pushed deeper into the neutral territories. The air felt heavier with each passing mile, thick with tension. I had hoped we’d be able to find Alexander by now, but the farther we traveled, the more uncertain the trail became. Every stop we made, we questioned locals and travelers, but the answers we got were always mixed, sometimes contradictory.“Did you see anyone who fits this description?” I asked a man who was sitting near the side of the road, sharpening a blade.He glanced at the sketch in my hand and shook his head. “Can’t say I’ve seen anyone like that. But there’s a lot of strangers passing through these parts.”I thanked him and turned to the others. “Let’s keep moving. We’re not getting any closer here.”We continued on, the air growing drier and the landscape more barren as we ventured into the heart of these lawless lands. I could feel the weight of the mission pressing on me. This wasn’t
Nathaniel’s POVThe night was quiet, but I was not resting. I sat near the fire, watching the flames move. They made soft popping sounds as the wood burned. My men were nearby. Some were sitting like me, others were checking supplies. No one was speaking much. We were waiting.Then I heard footsteps. One of my scouts walked toward me. He looked serious, not rushed, but I could tell he had something important to say. He stopped a few steps away from me and gave a small nod.“We got something,” he said. His voice was low. He looked around once before speaking again. “It’s from our contact. The one in the west neutral zone.”I stood up slowly. “What did they say?”He pulled a folded piece of paper from his pocket and handed it to me. I took it and opened it with both hands. The words were written in short lines. I read each one carefully, not skipping anything.“Alexander was seen. Not far from the southern ridge. Traveling through the neutral zone. He has a woman and a man with him.”I
Phoebe’s POVWhen I got back to my room, the door creaked a little as I pushed it open. I stepped inside and closed it behind me, turning the lock without thinking. The room was quiet. I could hear a soft hum coming from outside, maybe the wind or some insects still moving around.I stood still for a few seconds, looking around. Everything was just the way I had left it—my bed neatly made, the blankets smooth, the pillow resting where it always did. My boots were near the wall. A glass of water sat untouched on the table beside the bed.I walked over to the bed and sat down slowly. My hands rested on my knees. I looked down at the floor, at the way the wood had little lines and marks from years of use. I had been hoping to rest, maybe even sleep for a bit, but my body didn’t feel tired. My eyes were open wide, and my mind wouldn’t stop moving.The words Kara had said kept playing in my head like they were on a loop. Duncan wasn’t the same. He was getting worse. People were afraid of h
Phoebe’s POVKara and I had another walk when she talked and I listened.As I followed, Kara glanced back at me, then looked forward again. She didn’t smile or frown. Her face was still. We moved toward the trees at the edge of the camp. A few steps more, and we were out of sight from everyone. No guards, no other pack members. Just us.“Is this far enough?” she asked, stopping near a small patch of grass. A few flat stones were nearby.I looked around, then gave a short nod. “Yeah. This is fine.”She sat down first, brushing leaves away from the rock before resting on it. I stayed standing for a moment longer, unsure. I didn’t feel that tightness in my chest like I usually did when she was near. My hands weren’t curled into fists. My thoughts weren’t racing. I slowly sat down on a rock across from her. It was cool and smooth under me.“I didn’t think you’d agree to this,” she said after a long pause. Her voice was low and even.“I almost didn’t,” I replied. “But I guess I’m tired of
Phoebe's POV I stood outside Alpha Darius’s office, my hands by my sides. The hallway was quiet, but my thoughts were not. Someone had come to find me a few minutes earlier, saying the old Alpha wanted to see me. No explanation, no message, just a request to come now. After everything that happened during the attack, I wasn’t sure what this meeting would be about.I knocked once, firm and clear.“Come in,” came his voice from inside, steady as always.I pushed the door open and stepped in.Alpha Darius was standing behind his desk. His face, strong with age but still sharp, looked directly at me. His hair had more grey in it than before, but nothing about him had softened. He didn’t sit down. He stood tall, his arms resting on the desk, like he had been waiting.“Phoebe,” he said, his tone calm.I gave a short nod. “Alpha Darius.”He gestured for me to come closer. “You did well.”I blinked. “Sir?”“During the attack,” he said, folding his arms, “you kept things steady. You helped th
Duncan's POV I couldn’t sit still. I had to move, had to find the answers. The weight of everything pressing down on me was unbearable. Antonio, Stephanie, the sorceress—everything felt like a lie. I needed to confront the source of it all, and for that, I had to find the sorceress.She had been the one who planted the seed in my mind. She had been the one to tell me about Phoebe’s importance. And now, after everything I overheard, I couldn’t let it go. I had to know the truth.I stormed out of my office and made my way through the pack house with hurried steps. The hallway stretched ahead, but nothing felt as familiar anymore. The more I thought about it, the more I realized how little I actually knew. How easily I had been manipulated.I reached the stables quickly, where my horse was kept. I didn’t need anyone’s help; I didn’t care for the usual formalities. I grabbed the reins and mounted with swift movements, the saddle creaking under me. My heart burned with frustration and ang
Duncan's POV The hallways of my estate were quiet as I walked through them, the silence pressing in around me. I had not slept much since the confrontation with Antonio. Too many thoughts ran through my mind.I paced slowly, my mind still locked on Phoebe. The anger, the determination, they felt as sharp as ever. But there was also something else creeping into my mind now: doubt.What if Antonio was right? What if I was letting my emotions cloud my judgment?The thought was maddening. The whole reason I kept pushing forward was for Phoebe. She was my focus, my everything. Without her, nothing mattered.I reached the end of the hall and paused, hearing a low murmur coming from a nearby room. It was coming from Antonio’s office.Curious, I stepped closer, listening carefully.It wasn’t long before I realized the voices were of Antonio and Stephanie. They were speaking in hushed tones, too low for me to understand fully.I paused, just out of sight, and pressed myself against the stone