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
Aria’s POV“An offer?” I repeated, my eyes twitching. I sat straighter on my chair, trying to keep my voice steady, though something in my chest began to twist.“Yes,” Keiran said, standing tall and unbothered, like he was the one in control. His eyes flicked toward Kael for a moment. “One that would bring stability… and avoid unnecessary bloodshed.”Kael’s jaw tightened beside me, but he didn’t speak yet.“Go on,” I said, folding my arms across my chest.Keiran clasped his hands behind his back, stepping forward like he was giving a speech. “We all know what this pack has become. Powerful. Unified. And feared.”He looked at me then, his tone still respectful, but his words turned sharp.“But power is fragile when it’s divided. There are murmurs, quiet ones for now, among the outer circles of your reign. Some believe too many decisions fall into the hands of outsiders.”My brows furrowed. “Outsiders?”Kael’s voice was a low growl. “Say it clearly, Keiran . You’re referring to me.”Kei
Gracie’s POV“Mama, where are we going?” I asked, breathing heavily. My legs ached, and my body still hadn’t fully recovered from the last attack, but I pushed forward. Tavin carried my pup, bundled tightly in a faded wool blanket. His arms were trembling from fatigue, but his grip on the baby never faltered.We were all walking side by side, the forest around us thick and shadowed, the sun dipping behind the trees.It was at that moment I truly understood the essence of family.Not the kind that only stands by you in victory or smiles for the crowd, but the kind that bleeds with you, hides with you, and risks their life just to keep you breathing.My father might have died, but his presence was still here, in the way we moved as one. In the way Tavin looked over his shoulder every ten seconds. In the way Mama clutched her shawl like it was a shield against the world.“We’re going to my mother’s pack,” my mother said, her voice distant, her eyes scanning the winding path ahead.She so