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
Aria's POVThe door to my room closed with the same soft finality as every other door in this house, like it was apologizing for trapping me.I didn’t bother turning on the lamp. The heavy burgundy drapes had swallowed the harsh sunlight and only tiny rays were peeking through the drapes. I crossed
Aria’s POVA week dragged by since the hospital discharged me into a pack house that felt more like a prison than a home.They dumped me straight into a room they swore had always been mine; but no familiarity hit me. Just soaring ceilings, thick burgundy drapes choking out the light, a four-poster
Claire’s POVI pushed the door shut behind me. The click felt final, like the last nail in a coffin we hadn’t quite finished building.Kade was already at the bar cart, back to me, pouring whiskey with the kind of deliberate slowness that meant he was holding himself together by threads. He tipped
Aria’s POVThe twenty-four hours had slipped away like sand through clenched fingers.The lock turned and the door opened. A guard stepped aside without meeting my eyes.Claire entered first, heels clicking like small, triumphant gunshots on the hardwood. Her emerald silk dress, cut to command atte







