ALPHA DORIAN’S POVMy heart stopped mid-beat. A cold wave surged through my body.No. No. No.The plan was already teetering on the edge—Dominic was on the move, and now this? Evelyn, you reckless fool. This time you have crossed a line, this time I won’t save you.“No! No! No!” I bellowed, rising to my feet so fast my chair skidded behind me.“Go and check the situation there—now. Seize Evelyn, but don’t let the Luna die. Do you hear me? She cannot die. If she dies, it will all unravel.”The guard’s voice was clipped and nervous. “Yes, Alpha. Understood.”The line cut.I stood in the center of my office, chest heaving, fists clenched so tightly my knuckles turned white. You stupid woman. You had one task: keep her alive long enough for me to complete the work. Now you’ve brought Dominic’s wrath right to my doorstep.I had been carefully positioning myself to rise higher among the valley Alphas—earning the favor of the Royals had been my greatest coup yet. And Evelyn… she was supposed
DORIAN’S POVI stood by the window of my office, staring out at the sprawling forest beyond my pack’s borders. The sun was beginning to dip low, casting long, blood-red streaks across the sky.My fingers drummed against the mahogany frame as the weight of Evelyn’s words echoed in my mind. Dominic knows. He’s coming.I cursed under my breath.How did he figure it out? How did that damn woman manage to pull him straight toward me? We had been so careful—so precise with every step, every meeting. I barely interacted with Evelyn directly. She was always the useful pawn I manipulated from the shadows.And now the whole game was teetering on the edge of collapse.I can’t get caught, especially not now.Dominic Blackwood. The very name made my jaw tighten. The man was dangerous. Ruthless. Respected by the entire valley and its Alphas—not just because of his strength, but because of his damned sense of honor and loyalty. He would come for his mate. He would not stop. I had seen it in his eyes
OLIVIA’S POVThe click of the syringe cap being pulled off sent a shiver through me, sharper than any cold.I didn’t think—I moved.My body screamed in protest as I lunged sideways, knocking over the rickety metal stool that had been used to place food I was never fed. It crashed to the floor with a shriek of metal, momentarily distracting Evelyn.She didn’t expect me to fight. That was her first mistake.With the last of my strength, I swept the cot toward her with my foot. It slammed against her knees, making her stumble backward and lose grip of the syringe. It clattered to the floor and rolled under the bed.I didn't wait.The blood surged in my ears, and adrenaline flooded what little strength I had left. My muscles screamed, but they moved—finally, they moved. I lunged at her, landing a hard slap across her face, followed by a knee aimed for her gut.She wasn’t fast enough.The air whooshed from her lungs as I connected. Evelyn stumbled back into the wall, eyes wide with disbeli
OLIVIA’S POVMy limbs were heavy. My vision, hazy. The shadows in the room danced even when I closed my eyes.Whatever they injected me with… it hadn’t fully left my system. My wolf was quiet—far too quiet—and the familiar burn of power that usually simmered beneath my skin was distant, muffled like a scream underwater.I didn’t know how long I had been here. Hours? Days?The room was small. Stone walls. No windows. A single bulb flickering overhead. The metallic taste in my mouth reminded me that I’d been out cold more than once. My hands were restrained behind me, bound tightly with something cold and metallic—possibly silver-laced.I forced a deep breath and pushed the fog from my mind.Think, Olivia. You’ve survived worse.I shifted, the concrete beneath me digging into my knees as I twisted to get a look at the restraints. They’d left me barefoot, my clothes torn at the seams. Every time I moved, pain flared along my spine and down my arms. I ignored it.The drug made me slow. Bu
EVELYN’S POVI didn’t bother knocking.I pushed open the door to Dorian’s office, fury burning in my chest like wildfire. The sharp creak of the hinges sliced through the sultry silence, revealing a scene that made me scoff in disgust—Dorian, lips deep in the neck of some maid with a skirt too short for professionalism and a face too smug for her own good.The girl squeaked and jumped up, fixing her blouse hastily. Her smile faded when she met my glare. She didn’t need words to understand she wasn’t safe here anymore. With one final glance at Dorian—who looked far too annoyed to care—she fled the room.“Seriously?” he snapped, dragging a hand through his tousled hair. “What the hell, Evelyn? Ever heard of knocking?”I didn’t answer his theatrics. Not when the world was spinning out of control. Not when everything was on the verge of collapsing, including his pack.“You have what you wanted,” he said bitterly, straightening the cuffs of his shirt and not even trying to hide the lipstic
DOMINIC’S POVThe second I stepped out of that meeting, I felt it—something was off. My wolf was pacing restlessly, agitated in a way I hadn’t felt since Olivia left me the first time. This wasn’t just instinct. It was a warning. A storm was coming, and I had the sinking feeling we were already caught in the edge of it.I didn’t hesitate.I pulled out my phone and dialled James. He picked up immediately.“Dom?” he said, sounding alert.My mind raced, trying to stay ahead of what I feared had already happened. Every instinct screamed one thing—Olivia was in danger, and Evelyn was behind it.I dialled James without hesitation. He answered after one ring.“Dom?” His voice was sharp, alert. He must have sensed it too—something was wrong.“I need you to stay at the estate with Laura and the kids,” I said, keeping my voice level. “Do not let them out of your sight. Not for a second.”There was a pause, and then his tone dropped. “Understood. Is it about Evelyn?”“She’s on the move,” I repli