LOGINKade’s POV The pack house felt heavier than usual as I made my way through the quieter corridors the next morning. The trials had paused for a brief rest day, giving wolves time to recover and elders time to deliberate on the standings. My body still ached from yesterday’s bouts, but the herbs Aria had given me continued to work their quiet magic, keeping the fog at bay and my thoughts sharper than they had been in weeks. Yet something else gnawed at me. Riven. The way he had looked when he walked into the dining hall last night, shock, then something darker flashing across his face before he shut it down. The stiffness in his bow. The way he had barely met my eyes on the trials ground afterward. He had been off ever since Aria returned, and it wasn’t just concern for the pack. There was something personal there. Something I couldn’t quite place. I had considered confronting him directly. Pulling him aside and demanding answers. But Riven was loyal, sometimes to a fault, and
Kade’s head snapped up. “What?” I shouldn’t have said it. It was too soon, too direct, and if Claire found out I knew— But the damage was done. “The incense, Kade. The tea. The drugs Claire’s been feeding you for months to keep you compliant and confused.” I kept my voice level. “Did you really think I wouldn’t notice? That no one would notice?” He looked genuinely confused. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” “The headaches. The tremors. The paranoia. The fact that you can barely make a decision without Claire’s input anymore.” I leaned forward. “You’ve been drugged, Kade. Systematically. For months.” “That’s—” He stopped. Looked down at his hands, which were trembling slightly. “That’s impossible.” “Is it? When did you last go a full day without Claire’s special tea? Without that incense she burns in your chambers?” “She was helping me relax. I’ve been stressed—” “You’ve been poisoned.” The word landed like a stone. Kade stared at me, and I watched the denial war wi
Kade’s head snapped up. “What?”I shouldn’t have said it. It was too soon, too direct, and if Claire found out I knew—But the damage was done.“The incense, Kade. The tea. The drugs Claire’s been feeding you for months to keep you compliant and confused.” I kept my voice level. “Did you really think I wouldn’t notice? That no one would notice?”He looked genuinely confused. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”“The headaches. The tremors. The paranoia. The fact that you can barely make a decision without Claire’s input anymore.” I leaned forward. “You’ve been drugged, Kade. Systematically. For months.”“That’s—” He stopped. Looked down at his hands, which were trembling slightly. “That’s impossible.”“Is it? When did you last go a full day without Claire’s special tea? Without that incense she burns in your chambers?”“She was helping me relax. I’ve been stressed—”“You’ve been poisoned.”The word landed like a stone.Kade stared at me, and I watched the denial war with recognit
Kade’s POV The pack house felt heavier than usual as I made my way through the quieter corridors the next morning. The trials had paused for a brief rest day, giving wolves time to recover and elders time to deliberate on the standings. My body still ached from yesterday’s bouts, but the herbs Aria had given me continued to work their quiet magic, keeping the fog at bay and my thoughts sharper than they had been in weeks. Yet something else gnawed at me. Riven. The way he had looked when he walked into the dining hall last night, shock, then something darker flashing across his face before he shut it down. The stiffness in his bow. The way he had barely met my eyes on the trials ground afterward. He had been off ever since Aria returned, and it wasn’t just concern for the pack. There was something personal there. Something I couldn’t quite place. I had considered confronting him directly. Pulling him aside and demanding answers. But Riven was loyal, sometimes to a fault, and
Kade’s POV The pack house felt heavier than usual as I made my way through the quieter corridors the next morning. The trials had paused for a brief rest day, giving wolves time to recover and elders time to deliberate on the standings. My body still ached from yesterday’s bouts, but the herbs Aria had given me continued to work their quiet magic, keeping the fog at bay and my thoughts sharper than they had been in weeks. Yet something else gnawed at me. Riven. The way he had looked when he walked into the dining hall last night, shock, then something darker flashing across his face before he shut it down. The stiffness in his bow. The way he had barely met my eyes on the trials ground afterward. He had been off ever since Aria returned, and it wasn’t just concern for the pack. There was something personal there. Something I couldn’t quite place. I had considered confronting him directly. Pulling him aside and demanding answers. But Riven was loyal, sometimes to a fault, and
Kade’s POV The pack house felt heavier than usual as I made my way through the quieter corridors the next morning. The trials had paused for a brief rest day, giving wolves time to recover and elders time to deliberate on the standings. My body still ached from yesterday’s bouts, but the herbs Aria had given me continued to work their quiet magic, keeping the fog at bay and my thoughts sharper than they had been in weeks. Yet something else gnawed at me. Riven. The way he had looked when he walked into the dining hall last night, shock, then something darker flashing across his face before he shut it down. The stiffness in his bow. The way he had barely met my eyes on the trials ground afterward. He had been off ever since Aria returned, and it wasn’t just concern for the pack. There was something personal there. Something I couldn’t quite place. I had considered confronting him directly. Pulling him aside and demanding answers. But Riven was loyal, sometimes to a fault, and
Riven’s POVThe bag over my shoulder was lighter than it should have been.I’d noticed it sometime around the second hour of walking, when the strap had started cutting into my flesh and I’d shifted it to the other side and felt how little resistance it offered. I’d eaten most of what I’d packed be
Claire's POV The morning sun had barely crested the horizon when I woke, my heart racing with anticipation. Today. Finally, today. After weeks of careful planning, and slowly tightening my grip on Kade's mind and heart, everything was about to fall into place. I stretched luxuriously in
Aria's povThe noise hit me first, laughter, clinking glasses, voices spilling from the lounge as I stepped into the packhouse. I followed the sound, my stomach already twisting from the smell of eggs.Through the glass wall, I saw him.Kade sat in the private booth like a king on his throne: dark
Aria’s povThe first light of dawn filtered through the curtains, painting the room in soft gold. For the first time in weeks, I didn’t wake gasping from nightmares. Instead, Saela’s low rumble vibrated through my chest—steady, eager and ready for the day.I swung my legs over the bed’s edge and st







