LOGINADIRA’S POVWhen I got home that night, Ryder was at the door waiting. The moment I walked in, he pulled me by the hand into the storage room.“What is going on?” I asked, looking at him skeptically.He stared back at me, his eyes filled with something I could not explain. I shifted back a bit, feeling uncomfortable under his piercing gaze.“Where have you been? And what have you been doing?” he asked in a gruff voice.I cleared my throat and looked away from his piercing gaze. I knew there was no way I was going to tell him about everything that had happened.“I was with Lyra. We had some things to discuss,” I replied.His eyebrows raised. “You left immediately after we got down from the car, and you are just returning home. Do you know how many hours it has been? Lumina asked of you so many times, but I could not reach you on the phone or through the mindlink. I had to get her to sleep after trying everything I could.”I bent my head as a wave of sadness hit me.“And the only thing
ADIRA’S POV“I saw it happen…” she said in a small voice, barely above a whisper.The room felt smaller than it had moments ago.The walls that had once been my refuge now pressed in on me. The air was thick and heavy. My pulse still had not steadied from everything we had heard in the forest, and yet here I was hearing more.Lyra stood across from me, silent. Watching.“You were there?” I asked again, my voice barely above a whisper. “The night of the fire?”Her fingers tightened around the edge of the table.“Yes.”The single word landed like a stone in my chest.My mind reeled. Flames. Smoke. The smell of burning wood and flesh, Lumina’s cry, and darkness.“You pulled the ring from the ashes,” I said slowly, trying to piece it together. “Which means you arrived after…”“Yes, after you were already gone. But the truth is, I wouldn't have been able to do anything even if I got there early,” she finished quietly.Silence stretched between us.I studied her face carefully. There was no
ADIRA’S POVWe followed at a distance. Atlas moved confidently through the southern exit, cloaked in darkness. He did not look like a man doing something shameful. He looked like a man accustomed to secrets.He suddenly slowed down, quickly came to a stop, and swung around. It was a close call, but Lyra and I were able to dodge behind a tree just before he could see us.He stood for some seconds and took a few steps, walking backwards.My heart pounded. “Has he noticed us?” I thought to myself.He took a few more steps, and I couldn't help but shrink myself even further.After a few seconds he finally turned around and walked away. I let out a slow exhale and didn't move until I was certain it was safe to do so.Lyra and I kept low and silent. The forest swallowed us whole. He walked for nearly twenty minutes before reaching an abandoned stone structure a bit far from the border. I never knew such a place existed so close to the pack.Lyra and I stopped at a safe distance, close enoug
ADIRA'S POVThe moment the car stopped in the pack, I immediately jumped down."Hey, where are you hurrying off to?” Ryder asked quickly.“There is something I need to do. I will meet you up at the office soon.” I replied without stopping.I could see the flash of disappointment in his eyes, but that didn't stop me. I quickly made my way to the secret room that I used for my meetings. I need some time to myself to think.“There was an agreement back then, and it is still standing till now. If he has found another way to get what he wants, then he will still help me get what I want. That was the only reason I did what I did back then. He made the proposals back then, and I had to convince my daughter and everyone involved. Stability has to be maintained. If not, then we will all lose what we are looking for.”The words of Scarlet's father echoed in my mind."There were proposals back then. Merging territories through marriage would have secured you then, but you gave it up for a bigger
ADIRA’S POVThe words “old man” had begun to live inside my head. Even for a moment I had not been able to stop thinking about it. Even at meals, even in my sleep. I kept trying to figure out who it could be. But no matter how I thought about it, I still couldn't figure anything out.I watched Beta Atlas, trying to find out who he met up with, either in secret or in the open, but he wasn't meeting anyone. It was almost as if he had gone silent, or maybe he was just being careful.I couldn't help but think this was as a result of what happened in his office the other day. He had become more careful and hardly ever left the office now.I sighed heavily. I was starting to get a migraine from the constant thinking. I just needed a face to put an end to all of this.Whoever he was, he was not just involved. He orchestrated the entire thing. He gave the orders and decided who lived and who burned. I had to find him; that was the only way to bring this madness to an end.The gentle knock at
ADIRA'S POVWith every step he took, my heart pounded faster.My palm was getting sweaty the closer he got to the curtains. My wolf had masked our scent, so I knew he couldn't get a whiff of it, but somehow he still knew.If he checked behind the curtain, I would have nowhere to run and nothing to say. There would be no explanation, and I would be in a very tight corner.I would practically be surrendering myself to their plans.Then I sensed it, his hand reaching out slowly to grab the curtain. My heart hammered against my ribs.“Hello? What are you doing?” the familiar voice suddenly said.My heart exploded.But I quickly realised… the voice did not belong to Atlas.It came from the doorway, and it was Lyra’s voice.Atlas turned sharply. “Who is that?” he asked, his voice sharp.“Sorry, Beta.” She bowed. “You were standing there like a possessed man, and I was just shocked. I heard that Alpha Ryder has been looking everywhere for you. The patrol captain claims you changed tomorrow’s
ADIRA'S POVFollowing my decision that morning, I left the office and made my way to the elders' wing. I had slipped out of the office before Ryder would notice.Sincerely, I was glad that he had been trying to find answers to the masquerade issue even though he did not tell me about it. It helped
RYDER'S POVMy anger found no place to settle. I was beyond furious, and so was my wolf. If it were not for Adira and the fact that the person involved was Grandpa Alan, he would have been six feet under.The door to the house slammed shut behind us, the sound echoing through the walls. I did not r
ADIRA'S POVI stirred and opened my eyes. The curtains were still, and there was no light entering from the window. I had slept until it was dark. I breathed out heavily when I noticed it was already night.My mind was numb, clear, and still. No thoughts were running through it. I just lay there qu
RYDER’S POVThe meeting hall was already filling when Adira walked in. My eyes followed her as she entered. I was really worried about her. Something was going on, and she was not telling me about it.Yesterday, I was in a serious panic. I had felt the strain, exhaustion, and fear through our link,







