เข้าสู่ระบบPOV: Thelma The lockpick was tiny, barely larger than a needle, but it felt like salvation in my palm. Neon had slipped it through the bars an hour ago, his face twisted with guilt. "I can't undo what I did under Morgana's control," he'd whispered. "But I can help now. Elena died saving me. The least I can do is help save you." Now, with the guards changing shifts, I worked the lockpick into the silver chains. My fingers trembled, both from fear and from the burns the silver had left on my wrists. The lock mechanism was complex, spelled to resist tampering. But I'd picked locks since I was twelve years old. Magic couldn't stop determined fingers. The first cuff clicked open. Relief flooded through me as the silver fell away. The second cuff took longer, precious seconds ticking by as footsteps echoed in the corridor above. Finally, it opened. I was free of the chains, but still locked in a cell in the middle of enemy territory. One wrong move and I'd be executed on the spot. The
POV: Xavier The Council was in session when I burst into the meeting chamber. Five Alphas sat around a massive table, including Alpha Celeste and Elder Thorne. They all turned to stare at me. "This session is private," Thorne said coldly. "Leave, boy." "I'm not your boy," I replied, walking straight toward him. "But apparently, I am your son." Silence fell over the room. Celeste's ancient eyes widened slightly. The other Council members exchanged shocked looks. Thorne's face remained emotionless. "I have no idea what you're talking about." "Don't lie." I slammed my hands on the table. "You raped my mother twenty four years ago during a visit to Silver Moon pack. She got pregnant. Alpha Damien claimed me as his own to protect her honor, but we both know the truth. Your blood runs in my veins." "Careful, Xavier," Celeste warned. "These are serious accusations." "They're not accusations. They're facts." I turned to face all of them. "And I want everyone in this room to know that
POV: Xavier Something was wrong with my mind. I stood in my room at the Silver Moon pack, staring at my reflection in the mirror. The face looking back at me was familiar, but the person behind it felt like a stranger. There were gaps in my thoughts, moments where I reached for memories that should exist but found nothing. It was like walking through a house and discovering entire rooms had been sealed off. I pressed my fingers to my temples, trying to force the memories to surface. Nothing. Just a dull ache and a profound sense of loss I couldn't explain. My eyes fell on the sketch I'd drawn, the woman with golden eyes. Thelma. According to Theo, she'd been my mate. We'd loved each other. But when I tried to remember her touch, her voice, her laugh, there was only emptiness. Someone had taken those memories from me. The Oracle, Theo said. To save my life. But why would memories be dangerous? I turned away from the mirror and grabbed the leather journal I'd started keeping. Insi
POV: Theo By the time I made it back to Silver Moon pack, the entire territory was in chaos. News of Finn's attempted prison break had spread like wildfire. Pack members gathered in angry clusters, their voices rising in accusation. "She corrupted the Alpha's son." "Dark magic must have influenced the boy." "Finn was always so obedient. This proves she's dangerous." I pushed through the crowd toward the main hall where the Council was staying. I had to find Xavier, and had to explain what his brother had tried to do. I found him outside the building where Thelma was imprisoned, staring at a barred window on the second floor. He stood perfectly still, his expression troubled and confused. "Xavier," I called. He turned, and for a moment I saw something flicker in his eyes. Recognition maybe, or the ghost of friendship we'd been building before everything fell apart. "Theo," he said. "They told me about Finn. About what he did." "He's just a kid trying to help someone who saved
POV: Theo I slammed my fist against the ancient oak tree, barely feeling the pain that shot through my knuckles. The Oracle's cottage stood just beyond the clearing, smoke rising lazily from its chimney like nothing catastrophic had happened. Like my sister wasn't sitting in a cell, facing execution. Like Xavier hadn't forgotten the woman he'd promised to love forever. "I know you're in there," I shouted toward the cottage. "Come out and face me, you coward." The door opened slowly. The Oracle, Cassandra, emerged with her blind eyes somehow still seeing everything. She moved with the confidence of someone who knew exactly where every root and stone lay. "Shouting won't change what's already done, young Alpha," she said calmly. "You did this," I growled, stalking toward her. "You took Xavier's memories. The mate bond breaking shouldn't have erased everything. I've studied magical theory my entire life. Bond severance causes pain, causes emptiness, but not complete amnesia. You di
POV: ThelmaThe silver chains burned against my wrists like fire, but the physical pain was nothing compared to the emptiness where Xavier's love used to live.I sat in the back of the transport wagon, hands bound, watching the forest pass by through barred windows. Five Council Guards surrounded me, their faces hard and unforgiving. They treated me like a monster. Maybe they were right."Murderer," one of them muttered under his breath. I didn't respond. What could I say? Elena was dead. Yvonne was dead. Marcus had died weeks ago. The facts painted a damning picture, even if the truth was more complicated.The wagon jolted over rough terrain, and the silver chains rattled. Each movement sent fresh waves of burning pain up my arms. Silver suppressed shifter abilities and magic alike. I was powerless, trapped, and alone.Through the broken space where our mate bond used to be, I felt Xavier's presence somewhere in the distance. It was like reaching for something in the dark and finding







