LOGINREINASpring came slowly that year, but it came.I knelt in the garden at dawn, the way I had almost every morning for the past year, my hands sinking into soil that had seen me through everything, grief, fear, uncertainty, and finally, this. Everything I'd planted in the coldest, hardest months was pushing up through the earth now, stubborn and alive, refusing to stay buried.Not unlike me, I thought, smiling to myself.The house behind me had changed too, over the months. Warmer somehow.Sofia visited every few weeks from university, always trailing chaos and laughter behind her, already talking about summer break like it couldn't come fast enough.My father had settled into a small cottage on the pack's outer territory, close enough to be present, far enough to give us both room to heal slowly, properly, without rushing what couldn't be rushed.Kira sent letters from Elias's territory, brief and characteristically blunt, though I could read the happiness between her carefully chose
REINAThe garden had been transformed.Every flower I'd planted over the past months bloomed in careful arrangement around the space, twinkling lights woven through the trees, chairs arranged in soft rows filled with pack members who'd once looked at me like I didn't belong here.I stood at the entrance, my hand shaking slightly, my father beside me in a suit that fit properly for the first time since I'd known him."You look beautiful," Marco said, his voice thick with emotion. "Your mother would be so proud of you."My eyes filled instantly. "Dad""I know I don't deserve to be the one walking you down there," he said quickly. "After everything. But I'm grateful you're letting me try."I squeezed his arm. "You're here now. That's what really matters."He nodded, blinking hard, and offered his arm properly."Ready?" he asked."Ready," I said.The music started, and we began walking.Every face turned toward us, Lena, wiping her eyes already; Damian, uncharacteristically emotional, one
REINASofia had taken over the entire east wing.Fabric swatches covered every surface. Flower catalogs were stacked on top of each other like small towers. She'd recruited Lena within hours, and the two of them had become an unstoppable force of chaos and glitter that even Zaden seemed slightly afraid of."Absolutely not," Zaden said, staring at a swatch of pale pink silk Sofia was holding up against his shoulder."But it would look so good with the garden theme," Sofia insisted."I am not wearing pink.""It's blush, not pink.""Blush, pink, it’s the same thing Sofia."Sofia turned to me with the exact same expression I used to give our mother when I needed backup. "Reina, tell him."I looked at Zaden, who was watching me with an expression that dared me to side against him."He's not wearing pink," I said.Sofia threw her hands up. "Fine. Traditional black it is. Boring, but fine."Zaden's mouth twitched, the ghost of a smile he only let show around family now.Watching him with So
REINATwo weeks passed before the pack finally felt like it was breathing again.Dominic's intelligence had helped Damian's team dismantle what remained of the coalition's operations near our territory, three safe houses raided, key contacts arrested or scattered. Elias, it turned out, really had been compromised temporarily, his second-in-command working with the coalition without his knowledge. Once exposed, the alliance between our packs had been restored, stronger than before.For the first time since I'd arrived at the Cole pack house, there was no immediate threat looming over us.It felt strange. Almost unfamiliar.I found Zaden in the garden one evening, sitting on the stone border where we'd had so many important conversations over the past months. He looked up when he heard me approaching, something soft crossing his face."I was hoping you'd come find me," he said.I sat down beside him. "Long day?""Council meeting ran late," he said. "Dominic disagreed with three separate
ZADENThe council chamber was full the morning Dominic returned.Word had spread fast, everyone knew the formal challenge was two days away, and everyone wanted to see how it would play out. I hadn't told anyone about the meeting in the woods, about what I'd revealed, about the offer I'd made. As far as the pack knew, this was still heading toward a fight to determine who led them.Dominic walked in like he owned the room.That hadn't changed. He moved with the same weight, the same presence that had unsettled even seasoned warriors during the attack. Whatever decision he'd made, it hadn't come from weakness.He stopped in the center of the chamber, facing the council table where I sat with Selene, Miriam, and the others."I came to speak before the formal challenge," he said, his voice carrying easily across the room. "Since everyone here believes that challenge is still happening."Murmurs rippled through the gathered pack."Three days ago," Dominic continued, "Zaden told me somethi
REINADominic agreed to meet at the same clearing where he'd held Sofia and my father.I didn't like the symbolism, but Zaden said it was deliberate, showing up on Dominic's chosen ground, unarmed, was itself a message.We arrived at dusk. Dominic was already there, alone this time, no wolves flanking him. He looked surprised to see me beside Zaden."Didn't expect the wife to tag along again," he said."I go where he goes," I said simply.Zaden stepped forward. "I need to tell you something before the challenge. Something you deserve to know."Dominic's expression shifted, wary. "Go on.""Twelve years ago," Zaden said, "the succession trial wasn't fair."Dominic went very still."My father manipulated it," Zaden continued. "He paid two judges. He arranged for you to enter that trial already injured, weakened, before you ever stepped into the circle." He held Dominic's gaze. "I didn't know. I found out two days ago. But I thought you deserved the truth before we fight again, whatever t
REINAMy father has a tell.Most people who know him wouldn't catch it. But I've been watching him my whole life and I know the tell. It's in his hands. When things are bad, really bad, he sets them flat on the table in front of him like he's trying to hold something down.Both hands. Flat on the t
ZADENI don't make mistakes.Not because I think I'm perfect. But because I learned a long time ago that mistakes in my world have consequences that go way beyond personal embarrassment. An Alpha who slips up doesn't just embarrass himself. He puts two hundred and sixteen people at risk. So I don't
ZADENThe house was quiet.Too quiet.I stood in my office long after midnight, the only light coming from the desk lamp that cast long shadows across the dark wood. My side still throbbed from the wound Reina had cleaned earlier. I could still feel the ghost of her fingers on my skin, gentle, trem
REINAI should have taken the main road.That's the thought that keeps circling back to me now, sitting on my bathroom floor with my back against the cold tub and my knees pulled to my chest. I should have taken the main road. It adds seven minutes to the walk home from the bakery, and after a nine







