FAZER LOGIN~ Nora Vane POV ~"She's going to be watching every move you take," Finn repeated, his voice tense.Caleb turned to me, his dark gaze calm despite the news. "She can watch all she wants. You are under my personal protection. Let her try something.""No," I said, smoothing down the front of my dress. "Beatrice doesn't attack frontally when she knows she'll lose. She uses people. She uses social position."By noon, my prediction proved true.I stepped into the logistics wing to gather the quarterly supply reports. The moment I crossed the threshold, the quiet chatter in the room died.Three high-ranking she wolves stood near the filing counter. Among them was Sarah, a distant cousin of Beatrice who had always treated me like dirt during my years at the Vane estate."Look who decided to grace us with her presence," Sarah said, her voice dripping with artificial sweetness. "The wolfless servant."I kept my expression neutral, walking up to the counter. "I need the quarterly reports for Al
~ Nora Vane POV ~"You're not going back to the basement quarters," Caleb said, his voice leaving no room for argument.He locked the door of his executive suite, the electronic bolt sliding into place with a click. The lock chimed, sealing us off from the rest of the pack keep. Outside, the night was quiet."Caleb, my things are down there," I said, turning to face him. "If Lucian sends his guards to search my room—""Finn's team is already clearing it," Caleb interrupted. He crossed the room, stopping right in front of me. "Anything that links you to the old archives, anything that doesn't look like a standard administrator's life, is being moved. You stay here tonight. Under my guard."The room was vast, lit only by the soft glow of the city lights filtering through the windows. Standing this close to him, I could feel the heat radiating off his broad chest. My heart gave a sudden, betraying thump."We need to get you out of those torn clothes," he said softly.My eyes widened slig
~ Nora Vane POV ~"Hold still," Caleb commanded softly.He brought the diagnostic scanner down against the crook of my elbow, the small needle drawing a single vial of blood before sealing the small puncture. My hand remained in his, my fingers cold against his warm, calloused palm. The faint silver luminescence beneath my skin had finally vanished completely, leaving behind only the stark crimson stain on my torn sweater."I don't understand what happened out there," I whispered, watching him insert the vial into the scanner's primary bay. "Wolfless humans don't heal like that. We don't heal at all without medical intervention.""You aren't wounded now," Caleb said, his voice quiet as he initiated the sequence on his terminal. "That's what matters."He pulled up a secure screen, connecting the terminal to the pack's military servers. A progress bar appeared, pulsing blue as it began analyzing the biological sample against the standard pack registries."We'll run a baseline cross-refe
~ Nora Vane POV ~"Stay in the command center, Nora. That is a direct order."Caleb pulled his vest tight across his chest, the motion sharp and efficient. The emergency lights bathed the strategy room in a pulsing crimson glare as officers rushed past us, shouting coordinates and pulling ammunition from the armory lockers."Caleb, I can monitor the communications grid from the front line outpost," I said, following him toward the armory doors. "If they're jamming our frequencies, you need someone on site who knows how to manually override the localized relays."He stopped abruptly, turning to grab my arms. His touch was firm, grounding me against the frantic energy filling the hallway. "You aren't leaving the inner keep. The northern ridge is compromised. I am taking the strike team to reinforce the perimeter, and you are staying behind sealed doors.""I'm not helpless," I argued, staring up into his storm-grey eyes."I know you aren't," Caleb muttered, his thumb tracing a brief line
~ Nora Vane POV ~"Pack your things," Caleb said, his voice terrifyingly calm as he stood in the doorway of my trashed room. "You're moving into the Alpha suite tonight."I stared at the painted threat on the wall, my hand resting over my collarbone where my heart beat erratically. "Caleb, I have work to finish—""I didn't ask, Nora." He said.He stepped over a broken drawer, closing the distance between us in two strides, and grabbed my wrist. His grip was firm, but his thumb brushed over my pulse point, soothing the spike of terror before it could take root. "Someone breached this room Nora. You aren't staying in this wing alone for another second."He didn't give me a chance to argue. He guided me down the long, vaulted corridor toward the double doors at the end of the east hall. The timber of those doors was so thick it swallowed the sounds of the pack house whole, sealed with reinforced bronze hinges that bore the Crestfall coat of arms. Two elite personal enforcers stood guard
~ Nora Vane POV ~"No one leaves this room," Alpha Silas ordered, his voice ringing against the walls of the council chamber.The grand doors slammed shut, guarded by four armed enforcers. Outside, the muted murmur of hundreds of confused pack members echoed through the halls, but inside, the air felt suffocatingly still.Beatrice collapsed into a leather armchair, tears spilling over her mascara as she shook uncontrollably. Evelyn hovered over her, patting her shoulder while glaring at me with pure hatred."She tricked him," Beatrice sobbed, her voice trembling with theatrical grief. "Father, she used wolf-suppressant herbs. She must have spiked his drink or used dark alchemy to mimic a bond pull! Nora is wolfless—she cannot be an Alpha's mate!""She's right, Silas!" Evelyn barked, turning toward the Alpha. "Nora has lived under my roof for eighteen years. She has no wolf, no lineage, and no claim to the Luna throne. This is a fraud. I demand an immediate trial and her execution for







