LOGINADIRA’S POVThe council square was filled before sunrise. Warriors lined the perimeter. Elders stood on raised platforms. Every pack member from both Crescent-End and Silvercrest gathered to witness the trial. The air held a charge, a mixture of fury, betrayal, and anticipation.The three traitors stood chained in the center. Atlas looked hollow and defeated but not scared. Scarlett’s father trembled under the weight of public disgust. For a man that tried to kill people, he was truly scared of death. Grandpa Alan stood still, chin raised, refusing to bow even now. But one thing they all had in common was the bloody clothes, torn lips, bloody eyes, and missing fingers.They had refused to confess, but Jackson made sure they did. He had spared us the pain of having to do the interrogation ourselves, and he had done a good job.The matter was so huge and too serious that the entire alpha council had to get involved. They appointed the eldest alpha to be the head of the trial, and today
ADIRA’S POVThe council hall had never felt this heavy. Every elder seat was filled. Two packs sat opposite each other. My father’s pack on the right, and my pack on the left. Voices murmured low, confused, and uneasy. No one understood why I had called for an emergency joint meeting at dawn, and I did not offer an explanation.Ryder stood beside me, tense. He kept glancing my way, looking for answers I was not yet ready to give. He had insisted on knowing why I wanted to call a meeting, but all I could tell him at the time was that he would find out at the meeting and that it was important to have the meeting for Lumina’s sake. Scarlett’s father entered, shoulders squared, pretending confidence. Atlas came in next, eyes darting nervously around the hall. And then Grandpa Alan walked in with his cane, calm, composed, the picture of respected authority.But even though he was calm, I could see the questions swirling in his eyes. I was certain that a part of him wondered if this was ab
ADIRA’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 POVI stood up and walked over to close the door.“What is going on?” I asked. “You can relax and talk to me.”“It is about…” he hesitated.“Take your time; I am not in a hurry to go anywhere.” I said in a soothing voice, hoping it would help him relax.He took a deep breath and removed his
RYDER'S POVAs I stood in front of the door, I took a deep breath and pushed it open.Mum was seated close to her window, looking outside. I immediately noticed that the window had been changed to a thicker one, which allowed her to see outside faintly, but anyone outside could not see in. An iron
ADIRA'S POV“Luna, you sent for us.” Lyra and Rose bowed as they entered the office.“Yes, sit. More people are going to join us soon,” I replied, still looking through the document on the table.After a while, the head of the kitchen staff entered. She bowed and sat down, and almost immediately, t
RYDER'S POVI stood at my window in the office, admiring the beautiful decorations that were being done outside the pack. It was beautiful, to say the least. They had really done an amazing job today.“What are you looking at?” a voice asked.I jumped, startled, and glared at Jackson. “When did you







