LOGINHopeI pace the length of my room until the stone floor feels worn thin beneath my bare feet.Back and forth. Window to door. Door to window.Too slow, my wolf murmurs inside me, her voice a low ripple of unease. We should already be running.“I know,” I whisper, fingers twisting in the hem of my nightdress. My heart beats too loud, each thud a countdown I can’t see. Time is everything tonight. Not just the hour—down to the breath. One misstep, one delay, and everything unravels.Our escape doesn’t just ride on timing. It rides on Lina.On the Quiet Heart.If we leave the castle without it, there are no guarantees we’ll ever get back in. Lady Ellie won’t hesitate. The moment she finds the Heart, she’ll use it—against Tiriana, against me, against anyone foolish enough to stand in her way.The image makes bile crawl up my throat.You hate this, my wolf says gently.“Yes,” I breathe. “I hate all of it.”I hate that Lina is risking her life because of me. That I’ve pulled her into shadows
LinaI know, the moment I slip out of my narrow bed and press my bare feet to the cold stone floor, that this will be the most dangerous thing I have ever done.My wolf stirs, a low coil of tension beneath my skin.Do not run, she murmurs. We survive by choosing New path. I know how hard it's been for her to swallow her natural instincts and allow us to become who we are. Meek. Submissive. A pawn.But there was no other way to ensure my family's safety until now.Once I'm free of this place I can focus all my attention on getting them free.I think of my sister, my younger twin brothers and my widowed mother. Guilt shakes my heart. How long has it been since I’ve been able to send a letter? Since I’ve heard their voice? Would I even recognize them? Would they recognize me?I tuck those questions aside and focus on the present.“Not tonight,” I agree under my breath as I lace my boots. “Tonight we end this.”I have always known about the room. Everyone who has served Lady Elira’s hous
KeithThe breeze carries the scent of pine, damp moss, and the faintest edge of nerves from my pack as they go about their afternoon routines. Even without looking, I can feel the uncertainty lingering in the air like static clinging to fur. They took the news earlier better than I expected—no panic, no anger—but still… there’s tension.They’re preparing for a war they never imagined. And they’re welcoming Lycans—creatures they thought were either extinct or stories told to pups to keep them from wandering too far.They will adjust, my wolf rumbles confidently. They are strong. They are ours.Yeah. But strength doesn’t erase centuries of belief overnight.I stand near the southern clearing with Jace, Stevie, and Sky, waiting for the Lycan clans to arrive. Stevie stands with her shoulders straight, duty written all over her face. Jace, relaxed but alert, hovers a little closer to Sky than usual. The kid pretends not to notice, but I see the way his shoulders loosen when Jace is near.S
BenThe air inside the Blue Rock hall buzzes with tension long before Tessa calls the meeting to order. I stand near the entrance, greeting pack members as they filter in—some with nods, some with tight smiles—but all of them carrying the same thing in their scent: nervous curiosity.They try to hide it, out of respect for me and for Tessa, but I feel every pulse of unease like a drum against my skin.They’re afraid, my wolf murmurs, pacing inside me. Not of you. Not of her. Of what’s coming.Yeah. I know.Leading a pack into war wasn’t supposed to be part of my life’s plan. Especially not while also trying to be a good mate, a good Beta, and a steady hand for Tessa as she grows into her Alpha mantle. But here we are—back on our home turf, surrounded by wolves who trust us with everything. And we’re about to shake the foundation of their world again.People keep pouring in. Warriors, elders, young adults, just through their first shift and children who wont yet for a few years. Faces
TessaThe massive oak table sits between us like a canyon carved by centuries of blood and mistrust. Its surface is polished to a mirror shine, but the reflection I see in it isn’t my own—it's the history that brought us here. Wolves and lycans, two branches of the same ancient tree, split and twisted apart until we barely recognize each other.Today, maybe, we start growing back together.Keith sits at the head of our side, calm and composed, though I can feel his tension through the subtle tapping of his thumb on the table. To his right is Alpha Xavier, rigid-backed and ice-eyed. To his left, Papa sits with his arms crossed, jaw fixed in that resigned, angry patience he’s worn since the King took our family. Ben sits beside me—steady, alert, warm—while Jace and Kellen flank the outer edges like silent guardians.Across the table, the five Lycan clan leaders observe us with expressions ranging from wary to calculating.Riven, the biggest of them, has the kind of presence that makes t
HopeI’m at a loss for words. Truly, painfully speechless.Camille’s confession hangs in the air between us like smoke—cloying, impossible to wave away, sinking deep into my lungs until it’s all I taste. He sits at the edge of the bed, that unreadable mask on his face, the one that always leaves me scrambling to understand what version of him I’m speaking to. But beneath the calm façade, I saw something else. Relief. Hope. Possessiveness sharpened into something nearly tender.He wants to raise my child with me.My stomach twists. My wolf curls tight inside me, ears back, trembling. Danger… wrong… wrong male… wrong bond… She distrusts him in ways I’ve tried not to think about, instincts hitting harder now that I’m carrying a life inside me.“I know it’s a lot to take in,” Camille says softly, reaching out to touch my hand. I flinch before I can stop myself. His fingers hover, then fall away. “But you’re not leaving. Not now. Not when we can make something of this… together.”I manage







