LOGINIris’s POVHarrison came to Kristian’s study shortly after sunrise. I sat beside Kristian as he reviewed the final reports concerning Aiden, but Harrison’s expression told me his news involved someone else.“Benjamin was found at the abandoned Red Crescent estate,” Harrison reported. “The dark magic consumed his wolf before it stopped his heart. He was already dead when the council guards arrived.”I lowered the report. Benjamin had left my life when the guards drove him away, yet the finality of his death left a strange pain behind.Kristian dismissed Harrison, then closed the study doors. He did not ask me to explain my silence or tell me how I should feel. He simply sat beside me and waited.
Benjamin’s POVThe council guards drove me beyond the city and left me beside the northern road. They kept my weapons and threw my coat onto the ground before the gates closed.I picked up the coat and started walking toward Red Crescent territory. Max remained quiet inside me. Since I had accepted Aiden’s dark power, he had spoken less each day, as though the thing inside my blood had forced him into a corner.By sunrise, I reached the first Red Crescent checkpoint. The pack flag had been removed, and a council notice stated that our accounts and territory had been seized.Two warriors stepped into my path. Both men had once lowered their heads whenever I passed, but neither showed respect now. “Open the gate,” I ordered them. “Your Alpha h
Iris’s POVJade lay powerless at my feet while Blackthorne warriors closed around her. The silver chains remained fixed to her arms, and every trace of Aiden’s magic had vanished from her body.Kristian reached for me. “You were nearly killed,” Kristian said. “Let the healers examine you.” Before I could answer, the King seal burned against my palm.A dark thread rose from Jade’s chest and stretched beyond the northern wall. It was weak, but I could sense the man connected to it.“Aiden is here,” I said. “He was controlling the magic from nearby.” Harrison touched the communication device in his ear. “Seal every gate,” Harrison ordered. “Search the northern grounds.”
Iris’s POVThe final ceremony of the full moon celebrations began the following evening. Kristian had increased security after Harrison’s warning, but cancelling the gathering would have shown Aiden that we were afraid.Every servant was checked before entering, and Blackthorne warriors guarded each entrance to the courtyard.I stood beside Kristian on the raised platform, wearing the silver circlet of Blackthorne’s Luna. The mark on my neck remained visible above my gown. When Kristian took my hand, the bond between us carried his steady confidence into me.Father stepped forward in the formal robes of the Seven Tribes. The conversations below stopped as he raised an old silver seal for everyone to see.“For generation
Iris’s POVThe full moon banquet filled Blackthorne’s main courtyard with leaders from every allied pack. Silver banners hung from the stone walls, and hundreds of wolves waited below the raised platform. Kristian stood beside me in formal black, wearing the crimson insignia of the Wolf King.“Are you ready?” Kristian asked. “I have faced fire and survived,” I replied. “I should be able to face a crowd.” Kristian offered me his hand. “You will not face them alone,” he said.We stepped onto the platform together. The courtyard fell silent before Kristian even raised his hand. His authority reached every corner without effort.“Blackthorne has waited for a Luna who understands strength, sacrifice, and duty,” Kristian declared. “Iris has shown all three. She is my chosen mate, but tonight, the decision remains hers.”He turned toward me and lowered his head, offering respect before the entire gathering. “Iris, will you stand beside me as Blackthorne’s Luna?” Kristian asked.I looked ove
Jade’s POVBy the time Blackthorne identified me as the person behind the fire, I had already abandoned my villa. Kristian’s warriors searched every property connected to my family, but they found empty rooms and discarded clothes. I had prepared another hiding place long before Iris was carried from the flames.The underground house belonged to a man who called himself Elder Aldric. I found his name among the forbidden contacts my uncle had warned me about. He was said to possess powers the Southern Council had outlawed generations ago.He met me in a stone room beneath an abandoned church. His hair was white, and deep lines covered his face, but his eyes looked too clear for an old man.“The fire failed,” Elder Aldric said. “I warned you t
Rue’s POVBy the time I returned home that afternoon, I was so tired I wanted to sleep. I’d barely stepped past the threshold when I heard the faint clatter of cleaning tools from the corridor.I frowned.I took a few steps cautiously, wondering who would be at my house. Because except for my frien
Haven’s POVThe moment Aiden disappeared behind the bathroom door, steam already beginning to hiss from the shower, I sighed.All that trembling, that pitiful sobbing, the soft quiver in my voice—gone. In its place came a quiet meditation of the previous events.He had looked at me with confusion t
Rue’s POVAs time passed by, the gloom of the virus was starting to fade away. People were getting cured and the gloomy moments were getting replaced with days of working on the tech invention for Percy’s project.We had managed to bring Vicky's brother into the Blood Claw Pack, and he was catching
Author‘s POVSora laughed, but there was no humor in it. “Aiden’s going to love this.”Haven’s thoughts fractured. Images collided of Aiden’s cold distance, the pack’s growi







