Kael’s POVThe morning sun streamed softly through the tall glass windows, golden light spilling across the wide room like a warm whisper. I shifted slightly in the giant bed, careful not to wake the sleeping woman beside me. My eyes found her immediately, Aria, my peace in the storm, my piece of estimable joy.She lay on her side, her body curled toward mine, the blanket only half covering her bare skin. Her lashes rested gently against her cheeks, and in the morning glow, she looked like something out of a dream. Her hair spilled across the pillow in wild waves, and even in sleep, there was a kind of silent strength in the way she held herself.She’d been through hell.The loss of our pup… the heartbreak, the blood, the silence that followed it. The way she refused to cry in front of the others. The way she rose each day, holding her shoulders high for the sake of the pack even when I could hear her weeping softly into the night when she thought I was asleep.Grief hadn’t made her
Alpha Lucien’s POV“Alpha, they’re from the North Region pack,” one of the soldiers said, standing at attention just inside my war room.I slowly turned to face him. “What?”The words didn’t make sense at first. The North Region pack? No. That couldn’t be. They never got involved in the affairs of others. Never meddled. Never intervened. They were a silent giant, feared and respected by all. Unreachable. Unshakable.The soldier lowered his head slightly but repeated himself. “The warriors who took Gracie’s family and attacked us…. they belong to the North Region pack.”A slow silence filled the room like a fog. My blood cooled.The North Region pack was the most powerful in all of werewolf lands. Ruthless. Disciplined. Loyal to no one but their own. They hadn’t attended a single summit in over a decade. They didn’t trade. They didn’t take sides. They didn’t open their borders. They were ghosts behind fortress walls. And yet somehow… they had rescued Gracie’s family?That made no sense
Aria’s POV“What is going on?” I whispered, pacing the room like a restless wolf trapped in a cage.My hands trembled slightly as I stared at the empty hallway where the healers had just carried Gracie away. Again.She fainted the moment she saw him.Keiran.Of all people, it had to be him. Kael had barely said anything. He was quiet, watching with those unreadable eyes. Calm on the outside, but I knew better. He was spinning on the inside, trying to figure out how the past was catching up with us , fast.But me?I wasn’t calm.I was angry.Livid.“I sent one of my own soldiers to go and save that wicked, wretched woman?” I snapped to no one in particular.She had tried to kill Kael. She hunted us. Lied. Manipulated. And yet here she was, wrapped in blankets, holding a baby that looked suspiciously like the one I had lost.And Kael…I clenched my jaw.He was being nice. Forgiving. Too understanding.I loved him. Gods, I did. But sometimes he was too kind for his own good.He couldn’t
Gracie’s POVThe steady beeping of a machine pulled me out of the darkness. My eyelids fluttered open.For a moment, I didn’t know where I was. The ceiling above me was bright and clean. The sheets were crisp, tucked around my legs like I hadn’t moved in hours. The air smelled of antiseptic and fresh linen.It didn’t feel like Mooncroft’s hospital. This place was… calm. Serene. Not as cold and clinical. No faint coppery scent of blood, no urgent footsteps echoing in the halls.Was I dead?No. The beeping told me otherwise.“You’re awake,” a gentle voice said.I turned my head too quickly, and pain throbbed behind my eyes. A tall man in a white coat stood beside me, a faint smile on his face.“Where…?” My voice cracked. My throat was dry.“You’re in the noble pack,” he said. “It’s a neutral pack’s hospital, just outside hostile borders. You’ve been resting since yesterday evening. You fainted, remember?”Fainted.Yes… something hit me hard. Not physically, but something deeper.I tried
Kael’s POV“Gracie and her family?!” My mouth hung open as I saw the soldiers bringing them into the main chamber.I blinked, unable to believe what I was seeing. Gracie… bruised and pale, her arm around her mother, who was limping. Tavin, still clutching a dagger in one hand, looked like he hadn’t slept in days. And then, the baby. Swaddled in a worn blanket, safe in Tavin’s arms.Aria rushed forward before I could stop her. Her eyes, wild, watery, desperate, locked on the tiny bundle.“My baby…” she whispered.“Aria, wait….” I stepped forward, reaching for her arm, but she was already in front of them.Gracie staggered, lifting her head weakly. “No, don’t take him…” she rasped.Tavin immediately stepped in front of them protectively. “Stay back.”Aria didn’t listen. Her hand trembled as she reached for the baby. The baby let out a small whimper, the sound piercing the silence like a knife through my heart.Aria sobbed. “He’s mine, Kael, look at him, look…”“No,” I said firmly, grabb
Alpha Lucien’s POV“You have to get them,” I commanded through clenched teeth, my voice hoarse but sharp.Pain throbbed through my ribs, the wound from the wolfsbane blade festering beneath layers of gauze. It had slowed my healing. I hated that weakness more than death itself. My pride, my strength, everything that made me Alpha, was being tested. But I didn’t care. Not now.“I must collect that baby,” I growled. “And kill the remaining stains of Beta Alvarick’s bloodline. Gracie. Her mother. Tavin. All of them must die.”Varo, my most loyal soldier, stood before me in silence, his hands behind his back. His face was unreadable, but I could smell the hesitation on him. He knew I was in no condition to lead the charge myself, and yet he didn’t dare suggest otherwise.“Are the hunters in position?” I asked.“Yes, Alpha. We’ve disguised our enforcers as rogue trackers. They intercepted the fugitives in the southern pine forest, just as you predicted. The family is in custody.”“Good.” I